What is this book about?
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. and writing for the Internet. T he next two chapters deal with the communication skills common in business English teaching. looking at it from the different perspectives of the learner. Newcomers to business English will find the book particularly relevant. or for discussion and review in a training context. This book is designed to offer practical advice to anyone involved in business English teaching. They can be used for individual study and reflection. and meetings. it covers a huge variety of activities. areas which the business English teacher needs to deal with. and to act as a guide to some of the theoretical developments that affect the way business teachers operate. and the company investing in the training. Additional chapter-related notes and further reading suggestions are provided in an appendix. and course designers. Suggested classroom activities are signalled by this icon ■ . Intercultural training is increasingly being seen as part and parcel of the business English teacher’s job. T he use of English as the language for business is increasingly widespread. Finally. as well as language consultants and trainers working in companies. Chapter 1 considers the people involved in learning and teaching business English and the contexts in which it takes place. such as socializing. and this is dealt with in Chapter 8. reports. gathering information in order to design a course or choose materials. and discusses various options which are available to the teacher. but those with more experience should find that the book offers fresh insights into key issues. presentations. and more and more teachers are being asked to teach it. small talk. such as dealing with sponsors. Chapters 3 and 4 go on to cover course design and materials development. while Chapter 6 deals with teaching written skills such as letter writing. is provided. Chapter 2 looks at how to gather information about specific learning and business needs before planning a course. materials writers. it contains an overview of what makes teaching business English special. negotiations. minutes. with guideline answers. T he Task File consists of photocopiable sheets relevant to each chapter. agendas. including teachers. and working in a wide and varied range of contexts.Introduction
Who is this book for?
How to Teach Business English has been written for anyone involved in the teaching of business English. the teacher. CVs. contracts. Chapter 7 examines some of the issues raised by distance learning (when teacher and learner are separated by space and perhaps by time). Chapter 5 examines speaking skills. A Task File Key. Business English teaching is not just about what happens in the classroom. Chapter 9 considers issues of course evaluation.

it is the long-suffering members of a family who contribute the most. David Smith. David L ott and Jeremy Harmer. and courses and conferences I have attended. and also patience. and most of all to my wife Christine. I wish to express deep gratitude to my mother. personal thank you to a number of friends and colleagues who worked through early versions of some of the chapters in this book. as content editor. and there is so much happening.Author's acknowledgements
This book was largely inspired and influenced by the countless articles and books I have read over recent years (some are listed in the further reading list). Also. continued to ask pertinent questions. while tweaking the text to make it more readable and user-friendly Finally. Oliver. Rosamund Bell. inspiration has come from the hundreds of business English learners whom I have had the privilege to work with. as is so often the case. experience. both of whom demonstrated immense knowledge. Connie Parks. as they guided me through the whole process. it simply would not have been possible without their unfailing support. thank you to my children. and Mike Sneyd. Also. and Edm und. Avril Frendo. They are Sabrina Gerland. Business English teaching is an exciting field. A nd a special thank you needs to go to James Schofield. but who was later unable to continue and very generously suggested that I carry on alone. In my case. I would like to say a big. was able to offer advice from a different perspective. all business English professionals with years of teaching experience. and very kindly made suggestions and comments. Thanks too to my editors. of course. I remain convinced that I learn more from them than they do from me. Pete Sharma. who invited me to join him on this project. Emily. as a journalist of many years standing.
. who.

W h at is special about business English?
• • • • • The business English learner The business English learner Business English teaching contexts The business English teacher Language in context Teaching business communication

Every day millions of people all over the world use English in their business activities. Business is about buying and selling or, more broadly, exchanging and exploiting resources and capabilities. It uses the language of commerce, o f finance, of industry, of providing goods and services. It is about people coming together to accomplish things they could not do as individuals. It is about design and innovation, traditions and values, about the exciting and the mundane. It is about cooperation, negotiation, and conflict. It is about persuading and understanding, power and control, explaining and finding solutions to problems. In short, business English is communication with other people within a specific context. W hat do people want when they decide to study business English? For some it is a necessary part of their job. For others it is an investment which brings status and possibly financial reward. Some people have very specific needs, and some people just want their English to get better. Some people may be near the end of their working lives, and others may just be starting a new job, or career, or project. Despite this wide variety, it is possible to group learners together in generally accepted categories:
According to experience

Pre-experienced learners have little or no experience of the business world. Typically, they are learning business English because they intend to follow a business career; they may be university students, for example, or even secondary school students. Because of their lack o f experience they will often need the teacher to provide a window on the business world. Job-experienced learners know a lot about their business and their own jobs, and often have very precise notions about why they need business English. In contrast to pre-experienced learners, they do not need or expect the teacher to help them understand the world of business. A third category, which m ight be called general business-experienced, falls somewhere between the two. It comprises learners who may already have a certain amount of
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H ow to Teach Business English

work experience, but who are learning English in order to move into a new job, or for a specific purpose.
According to level in the organization's hierarchy

Very often learners at different levels in a company have different approaches to business English learning. Senior managers, for example, may wish to focus on specific skills like presenting or negotiating, or may wish to have 1 -to -l lessons because of their status within an organization, whereas more junior staff may not have such precise needs, or may not be able to influence how their training is managed. So a company might arrange separate classes for senior managers and other sessions for clerical staff.
According to national culture

Different national cultures have different traditions and values regarding training and education. Sometimes learners need to be split into different groups in order to cope with this. A private language school in, say, the UK, the US, or New Zealand, m ight elect to teach separately its Asian and Hispanic learners, whose different styles of communication might otherwise interfere with the learning process.
According to need

Some learners have very specific needs which they want the teacher to help with; for example, they may be about to join an international project team, or need help answering a company telephone hotline, or want to describe their company’s products to a new customer. O ther learners have a general aim to improve their English because it seems the right thing to do, and they need a less focused course. A third category m ight be learners with particular roles or functions, such as secretaries, accountants, or technicians. They may work in different firms, but share job characteristics they can all identify with.
According to language level

Sometimes learners are grouped together because they have roughly the same language proficiency. So learners m ight be called ‘beginners’, or ‘advanced’, or ‘level three’, depending on how well they can pass a test or fit in with a set of predetermined criteria.
Business English teaching contexts

Business English teachers normally work within one or more of the following teaching contexts:
Education institute

Young adults are typically taught in an institutional education environment, such as a school, university, or apprenticeship scheme. I f they are in a tertiary education environment, it could be that the teaching will require a lot of work with written texts, and perhaps the preparation of oral or written assignments so that grades can be given. Sometimes such assignments bear little or no relationship to future working contexts, but are heavily influenced by the needs and traditions of the educational establishment. In some cases, the students will also attend other (non-language) classes in English.

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1 • W h a t is special a b o u t business English?

Learners in such institutes normally start with certain expectations or feelings about the class. They may expect the teacher to be an expert on the business world as well as a language expert (he or she may be neither). They may feel that learning English is not as high a priority as other subjects. And the classes, often relatively large, may contain learners with widely disparate language levels and skills. Because such groups usually do not know exactly how they will be using their English in future, it can be difficult to focus on specific target needs. T he great advantage, of course, is that it is often easier for teachers to cover areas which may not be possible in a more constrained in-company group.
Private language school

Private language schools exist in most major cities of the world. Sometimes they are part of franchises or chains, and sometimes they are small organizations run by one or two people. The teaching may take place in the school’s own premises, or the teacher may be expected to travel to the custom er’s location. T h e customers may be anything from private individuals trying to improve their English in order to apply for a job, right up to large corporations with employees all over the world. In some countries, schools are required (or can volunteer) to submit to outside inspection; such schemes are designed to ensure that certain standards are maintained. Teachers planning to work in language schools are well advised to find out about pay and conditions before they sign a contract.
In-company

In-com pany teaching involves working at the client’s premises, and can vary from a couple of hours a week to a full-time job. It offers a very different experience from working in an educational establishment, for at least two reasons: the learners are not only operating in their workplace already, but they will often have a much better idea of why they need English. Teachers who work full-time in a company will get to know the company’s needs very well. They will normally be given their own training room (as opposed to the use o f an empty office or meeting room), and will also have access to resources such as the company intranet. Sometimes the trainer will be invited to attend m eetings, do w ork shadowing (accompanying an employee doing their normal job, and giving feedback as necessary), or help out with written documents. A fter a few years, the trainer can become indispensable to a company, even saving money: for example, one trainer designed content-based training which reduced the employees’ induction time (new employees learned about their new company in English). In-com pany trainers are normally required to do many other tasks besides teach. Administration is particularly im portant as there is often no one else to do it for them. Rooms need to be booked, stationery ordered, fire practices need to be attended, and so on. One of the tasks of the in­ company teacher is to walk about and meet people in all parts of the organization; this gives the teacher a feel for what is going on inside the

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This may mean correcting some mistakes. coaching over a longer period. giving times and locations of classes. but it m ight also mean starting from scratch about what to include in an introduction (see Chapter 5 for more about presentations training). or build a special rapport with each other. However. working towards an improved version. This focus on a single learner and his or her language is what makes 1 -to -l teaching so different. and so on. Sometimes a learner at a management level prefers the idea of 1 -to -l. going over the whole introduction and improving it. information about learning English possibilities. For example. 1 -to -l learners are normal highly motivated (they would not be prepared to find the time or pay the money otherwise). and useful links. offering an initial attem pt at it. largely because they have no other experience. and it can feel much more like real communication. T he teacher’s task is to reformulate the learner’s language. either orally or in written form. and the need to vary the pace and intensity of activities. but this is rarely the most effective way to do 1 -to -l teaching. and many distractions ( Teacher.H ow to Teach Business English
company. checking or helping with presentations. and needs to be brought up to speed very fast. but one will soon build up. It can involve preparing a learner for a specific project. the teacher and learner strike up a personal relationship. so 20 hours of scheduled teaching is probably realistic (assuming a 40-hour working week). not only is the teacher able to focus entirely on the learner’s needs.
1-to-1
1 -to -l (private lessons with one teacher and one student) is quite a common arrangement in business English teaching. Teacher. Normally a teacher manages a group of people. There is usually much else to do. let’s consider the case of a learner who wants to give a presentation and who starts with an introduction. but the learner also becomes the main resource. Sometimes a person joins a company without sufficient language skills. and such keenness may add to a stressful situation. although these should be addressed. whereas in a 1 -to -l situation. correspondence. It is not merely about focusing on grammatical or lexical errors. The teacher and student work together to reformulate it by. and it also ensures that people in the company are aware of the teacher’s presence. can you do a quick placement test on these new job interviewees?. In-com pany teachers are normally expected to use materials that are relevant to the company. reports. Sometimes learners expect the teacher to provide the content. T he new teacher can easily fall into the trap of assuming that the learner wants maximum effort and input (after all. T he teacher should maintain an intranet presence if possible. can you ju st help me with this letter ?. 1to-1 learning is already intensive enough.
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. as the new teacher normally does not have such a bank of resources available. Teachers are well advised to remember the value of silence. This can be hard at first. T he new teacher is advised not to overload his or her teaching schedule. and the like). 1 -to -l learners may be very important people who have paid a lot of money for the course). in effect. In some cases. A 1 -to -l situation is far less contrived than a classroom situation.

themselves. they interact not only with the learners.1 • W h a t is special ab ou t business English?
The business English teacher
W h a t about the teacher? In most other fields of teaching the teacher knows more about the subject than the learner. M any freelance teachers operate as consultants. and plan accordingly. W ithin the field o f business English.
Teacher as coach
A coach is someone who can help the learner take advantage of the learning opportunities in their own working environment. it may require the teacher to recommend a training supplier. They are often in a privileged position. In business English. while teaching is person-oriented. for example. whereas a language teacher is helping a student to learn a language for a variety of (often unspecified) purposes. It involves helping the learner to better understand his or her own strengths and weaknesses. and they evaluate training delivery and outcomes. in that they may well be the only person in a company with direct and open access to everyone at every level. A trainer.in a certain way. There is a fundamental difference in approach: a teacher is traditionally seen as someone whose task is to educate someone so that they can have more chance at succeeding in life (the exact objectives may be fairly loose). is someone who is required to change a person’s behaviour or ability so that they can do a specific job. on the other hand. They also need credibility. professionalism. many teachers call themselves trainers.both linguistically and pragmatically . where trainers are common. but also with those who make the decision to pay for language training services. they discuss contracts. this expertise can cover a wide area. they market themselves in order to gain access to a potential client. they must be able to adapt to a particular teaching context and be willing. This is related to the concept of learner autonomy. Thus.
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. and an awareness of the business world. or it may involve the teacher negotiating with a number of hotels to choose the best location for a course. There are very good reasons for this. they carry out needs analysis. where the learner takes full responsibility for his or her learning.
Teacher as trainer
T he business English teacher works in the world of business. to learn. a trainer is training them to behave . it may include the ability to analyse communication and communication needs. Above all. Business English teachers need to be able to make informed decisions about language and language learning.
Teacher as consultant
A consultant is an expert who is brought in because his or her skills or know-how are not available in the organization. coaches. or even consultants. but in business English the relationship can be more symbiotic: the teacher knows about language and communication. but the learner often knows more about the job and its content. Training is job-oriented.

and the second could be between husband and wife discussing when the painting of the garage is to start. Every profession does this (indeed. A: By Friday? B: I said yes. English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a term often used to describe language that is inaccessible to people who are not members of a particular language community. (in the power industry) Maybe we need to revisit the escalation clause? (in real estate) It's OTC. So the first exchange might be a business person visiting a supplier’s factory. I'm looking fo r room 235. w ithin the group. (in accounting) We've had some SF6 leakage. they become business English. It's just round the corner. But if they are used by a business person within a business context. ways that are not as familiar to outsiders. ok?
Both these exchanges could be described as everyday English. Mr Jenkin's office. But some groups of people use language in other ways too. T hey use specialist words to make communication. but they probably wouldn’t understand each other’s specialist vocabulary. Consider the following:
Sales have fluctuated since we introduced the new sales strategy. The team is responsible fo r the China project. Here are some examples:
Can we ta lk about gearing a fter lunch? I'm hungry. People use specific language to communicate in specific contexts. o f course. Sales engineers use specific language to discuss their product specifications with their customers. in e.H ow to Teach Business English
Language in context
T he language of business English includes what some people might call everyday English. one defining feature of a profession is that it has its own linguistic identity). for example. Business communities are no different.
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. B: Yes. retail pharmaceuticals)
There is also language which is clearly business English. The first exchange could take place within the context of visiting the headteacher at a school. Accountants use the language of accounting (specific lexis) to talk about accounting matters {specific context). easier and more efficient.g. alright. Has everybody had a look at the minutes? They've term inated the contract. Can I help you? A: I hope so. and the second might be two colleagues discussing an important deadline. but which can be understood by most proficient users of English. B: Hi. over there. A: W hat d'you think? B: Yes. (over the counter. These are both business communities. Consider the following exchanges:
A: Excuse me.

to a particular type of English (British English.) A good example of this relative lack. train. For example. plan. analyse. a quick glance at the language of advertising soon shows a wonderful variety of metaphorical language. Small j talk is the simple throwaway line we might offer when we meet someone in the corridor. buy. such as the difficulty in recording natural discourse. No one really knows. compromise. and ESP. telephone. but they also need the skills in order to do their job (that is. But skill in using business English is not limited to the words and language used. It is not limited to words or phrases that only appear in some special business world. People whose first language is English do not necessarily speak this language.' of information is in the m atter of small talk. and business people’s ' concerns over issues of confidentiality. So business English is used together with business communications skills. There may well be certain parts of business English teaching that rely on (the teacher’s and the learner’s) intuition. there are many areas of business English or ESP where there is not much reliable information on what people actually say. produce. investigate. Yet there are some other things which make business English distinctive. (There are various reasons for this lack.
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. There is much discussion among academics about what such a language m ight be like (Is it less idiomatic? Does it use different syntax? H ow many varieties are there?). rather than direct business content. which often seems to have a< relationship-building function. So do negotiators. and is the sort of English found in general business English coursebooks or in business magazines. write. and for business aims. but not much is known about how they work. although we know a lot about how people interact and the sorts of things they say to each other.. It may even be considered a new type of English which has developed and is developing to meet the needs of its users. to general business English. Thirdly. including Winnie-the-Pooh and Shakespeare. Such conventional. US. sell. the English used in international business is not necessarily the same English that native speakers use. Secondly. The im portant thing to remember is that the language the learners need may share only certain characteristics with the teacher’s own version of English. or the seemingly banal discussion about the weather when we bump into someone in the car park. predict. advertise. general business English. such as the health drink with more muscle. It is a lingua franca. persuade. deal. Business English users need to know the words. interview.. Learners m ight need to learn everything from general English. Firstly. So do telephone operators. the skills they need to do the job in their own language). people’s reluctance at being recorded. negotiate. they socialize. business English is an umbrella term for a mixture o f general everyday English. market. So. A nd popular business books borrow from a wide variety of literary sources. the list is endless. polite exchanges might be vitally important to the business English learner who needs to build good business relationships.1 • W h a t is special ab ou t business English?
This is sometimes described as general business English. business people do a variety of things with language. compete. Presenters use certain techniques to get their message across. These are done in a specific business context. explain . travel.

Lexical words (nouns. or chunks) consist of two or more words. such as vocabulary. In a sense they behave like a word. not just to talk about business.H ow to Teach Business English
International). Because business English is not only about language. These categories may overlap. Note that most multi-word units are not complete utterances. should). to). but about language use. any). which arose out of dissatisfaction with earlier teaching approaches which tended to concentrate on linguistic items (such as w ritten grammar rules). and in a wide variety of contexts. vocabulary and grammar were seen as separate aspects of language. which act together as a unit. Traditionally. wh-words {why. verbs. or a mixture of all of these. and with a wide variety of interactants (some of whom may not speak or write particularly good English themselves). general language learning and teaching. The third type are inserts {yeah. they). phonology. and intercultural competence. and adverbs) are the carriers of meaning. discourse competence. Business English teachers need to focus on three key components in particular: linguistic competence. Various ways of dividing communicative competence into its component parts have been discussed over the years. of which knowing about language is only one. What’ s the
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. including linguistics. but. Function words deal with the relationships between lexical words. prepositions {in. studies on how we memorize language show that it is easier to store ‘chunks’ o f language than several individual parts. it is worth first considering the issue of communicative competence. Perhaps the most influential models have been based on work done by Hymes in the 1960s. They need English to do business. and management training. or). with teachers being particularly interested in the teachability of such components. but How do you do also acts like a single unit.
Linguistic competence
Linguistic competence is shown in the use of the basic elements that go together to form a language. Canale and Swain in the ’70s. O ne of the key influences on business English teaching in recent years has been our deepening understanding of the role of lexis (words and patterns o f words) and its relationship with grammar (the way the words and patterns follow rules). and so on. a. Language learners also need to be able to use the language in real-life situations. modals {can. lexical bundles. ouch). T he Longman Grammar o f Spoken and Written English divides words into three types. pronouns {it. A nd they need to be able to use this language successfully across a range of different cultures and alongside a range of different business skills. grammar. T he basic argument. Examples are determiners {the. adjectives. however. well. So nevertheless is one word. some. or indicate how they are to be interpreted. is that there are various components which need to be considered when discussing language skills. Multi-word units (also called lexical phrases. to an ESP.
Teaching business communication
T he teaching of business English has been influenced by a variety of disciplines. but the distinction between the two is becoming more and more blurred as we find out more about how the language system works. Indeed. whose). and Bachman and Palmer in the ’80s. coordinators {and.

Chunking involves grouping words together. Idioms are a type of multi-word unit where the meaning is not clear from the individual words (e. We use stress. Also common in spoken language are discourse markers. letter o f complaint. Discourse competence. letter collocates with verbs which show what you can do with it {write a letter. and start off and bring up are examples of phrasal verbs. or a change in pitch. W ords do not only collocate with other words. but we do not normally say market o f Europe. or a lengthening o f a syllable to signal the end of the chunk.. chunking can alter the way the listener understands the message. open a letter etc). rhythm.g. market o f France. Erm what I ’ d er like to do today is . for example. So we say smallprint. uses contractions {cant. to signal feedback). although it is im portant to note that the word discourse can be used in a variety of ways by language professionals. Utterances are often left incomplete. We also know that certain words tend to co-occur with certain other words. however. Finally. intonation.
Discourse competence
Linguistic competence deals with elements of language at a basic level. So. are examples of sentence headers. uh). they collocate with other semantic word families (i. OK.1 • W h a t is special about business English?
matter with . or market o f South East Asia. won’ t). on the other hand. Market collocates with adjectives denoting place (European market. in the utterance. read a letter. I t ’ s going to crop up. For example. It has different word-order rules. and is often vernacular. small market). hesitations {erm. letter o f enquiry. follow-up letter). with a pause.g.. and I don’ t think it’ s . uh-huh. Spoken grammar is normally used in real-time interaction. it is just the way it is.e. Yeah we got it erm yesterday I think it was. Com bined with stress. For example. Forms which are acceptable in one type of grammar are not necessarily acceptable in the other. and tends to focus on language out o f context. A t times there appears to be no particular logic to such matters.. A nother fairly recent development is the appreciation that spoken and written grammar can be very different. groups of words with related or similar meanings).. words tend to occur in particular grammatical patterns (colligation). and adjectives which describe the function of the letter (covering letter. French market. O ther common features include fronting and tags. Learners need to understand that when they use written grammar rules in conversational speech. a phenomenon known as collocation. Phonology is about how we use our voices to make the sounds of utterances. large market. South East Asian market). rather than little print. For the purposes of this book. we can say letter o f application. backchannels ( mmh. and adjectives denoting size {huge market. It is not only what is said. discourse is used to describe how
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. the I think it was at the end is a tag which qualifies what has just been said. or have a meeting rather than do a meeting. their language may sound unnatural and stilted.. and rhythm. which often occur at the beginning of an utterance (e. or change their form halfway through. and expletives. deals with language in use. and intonation (sometimes called prosody) to convey meaning. or H e’ s in the driving seat).. big market. The tape.). but how it is said that is o f interest to business English learners. post a letter. ellipsis (words left out). repetition. or We’ ve missed the boat.

Conversations have certain characteristics. what makes a memo different from a letter of complaint. and can even be seen as a tool for manipulating others. and so mistakes m ight be less easily forgiven. T he converse can also be argued: that written discourse provides a more perm anent record. how's it going? B: Fine thanks.
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. Participants in a conversation take turns to speak. Thus discourse can reflect relationships between individuals. For example. Often utterances come in pairs. if linguistic competence refers to the building blocks of language. One of these is conversation analysis. or the degree of specificity. who use different rooms for different functions. and this is also reflected in the types of language used. How's it w ith you? A: Tea? B: Yes. especially of topic vocabulary). Typical examples of this include negotiations. and so on. it is normal for participants to listen to each other. the participants in the discourse have to communicate within different contexts. such as a question and answer. please. In this sense. which seeks to distinguish between different types of texts (for example.
A: Hi. service encounters. or a greeting and a responsive greeting. business discourse refers to the spoken and written communication that is found within the world of business. So. One strategy involves the use o f register (the degree of formality. or a telephone conversation different from a presentation?). Related to this is the concept o f genre. Spoken discourse is often covered in business English training because it is more immediate. Another aspect of discourse is that often one of the participants may hold more power than the other participants. discourse competence refers to the whole house. a learner may have time to look something up in written discourse. Interaction is seen as a dynamic process which develops by taking into account what has already happened. which would probably have more formal language and specific lexis. and to stop talking when another participant is talking. but the demands of spoken discourse tend to be more urgent. and these can be used to help understand what is happening and how it is happening. everyday type of lexis. Like the occupants in a house. By way of analogy. it follows that different discourses require different strategies. presentations. and so it is sometimes seen as more im portant in the business English classroom.H ow to Teach Business English
people interact with each other within context. Spoken interaction has a structure. There are many ways to analyse spoken discourse. This is known as turn-taking. correspondence. for example. or complaint and an apology. and there are rules which govern what is and is not allowed. meetings. and would therefore have a different register from what we would expect to find in a meeting of international consortium partners about to sign a major contract. which is a sociological approach used to analyse the way people interact with each other in talk. Discourse can be spoken or written. a chat in a pub would use a colloquial.

because I really did not know w h a t to say. It is influenced by a multitude of factors including environment. Some cultural differences are superficial. it was a simple case o f a conversationalist from one culture hearing an unfamiliar name and mistaking it for a familiar. and is continually changing. A t one point. In this case. family. So yo un g!' I was a b it taken aback by this remark.
Intercultural competence
I attended a language teaching conference in Korea a fe w years ago. A h . 'So young'. another delegate came up to me.. beliefs. The iceberg model is often used to demonstrate how much of culture is hidden. Then I noticed her name tag. And anyway. behaviour. It manifests itself in interaction between people. looked at my name tag and said. age.
Note that the language used depends not only on the standard sequences. Geert Hofstede describes culture as the ‘software of the m ind’. H ow are you? W hat can I do fo r you? Hello. fo r example. T he language and the tone will be very different if the call was between a buyer and seller. 'So young'. Like an iceberg with most of its
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. she said again. For example. if surprising. for example. Culture has to do with attitudes.1 • W h a t is special ab ou t business English?
Conversations also have opening and closing sequences. It is learned. we often have no idea that there is a problem. it's A n dy here . and values. But cultural differences are not always so obvious. a telephone conversation often starts off by using some or all of the following components:
Summons answer: Identification recognition: Greetings: Initial inquiries: (ring ring) Schmidt. she said again. or ‘the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another’. not inherited through genes. and are relatively simple to deal with. How's things? I'm rin gin g to see i f you can .
This anecdote is an illustration of what can happen when people from different cultures meet. smiling. W e seem to operate on different wavelengths. Fons Trompenaars defines it as ‘the way in which a group of people solve problems’. and what can be worse. and I had been in the teaching business fo r a while. I pointed o u t th a t if she looked closely she could see my grey hair. It is easy to see that people may dress or eat differently. judgmental comment. I did have a grow ing family. gender.. I was beginning to struggle at this point. she looked a lot younger than me. Even the simplest things can be difficult. or an employer and employee. Hi. or two colleagues who were good friends. I had never been approached by someone this way before. Evan Frendo. and m uttered somewhat disparagingly th a t I w asn't actually th a t young.. which said 'So Yung'.. but also on the relationship between the caller and the receiver. and ethics.

National culture takes as its reference point the concept of the politically bounded nation state. people’s feelings about their own worth. which aims to develop learners’ ability to use language to communicate. a secretary in the American firm. Stereotypes are generalizations which are often used to simplify and categorize other cultures. history. Organizational or corporate culture describes the specific behaviours and values found in organizations. self-respect. the aim might even be to recognize and utilize those differences in order to create something which adds value for the business or its customers. but there are limitations to their usefulness. and by extension the people in those cultures. So. and be sensitive to. even when they come from very different national cultures.i. more traditional engineering company which has been in existence for over a hundred years. There are different types of cultures. but in some ways has more in common with an engineer in a German company than.
Communicative language teaching
Teachers have used such models of real-world comm unication and perspectives on society to inform what happens in the classroom. From a business point of view. We might expect doctors and musicians to behave in certain ways. like words or grammar. Even members of the group of people who use English as a lingua franca share certain characteristics with each other. However. an engineer in an American company may share many of the values of other employees in the same company. We often use them to try and understand a new situation or unfamiliar behaviour (for example. for example. and ethnic groups do not always observe national borders. then. a young company with twenty employees which sells groceries via the Internet is likely to have a very different way of doing things compared to an older. or race. religion.000 employees scattered in different parts of the world. or agreeing and disagreeing (functions are ways of describing what a speaker is trying to achieve at each stage in a communication
12
. there are some underlying principles commonly shared.H ow to Teach Business English
bulk unseen below the surface of the water.in Asian countries). and make no allowance for individuals in that group. So we think that (and act as though) all members of a particular group behave in a certain way. CLT is not a precise term and can mean different things to different people. A nation may be composed of different ethnic groups. Intercultural competence. but it also involves language in use via functions such as interrupting. differences in how other cultures do things. and which has more than 300. it may be useful to know about the importance o f ‘face’ . which is used to refer to groups having the same language. First of all. for example. The theorists’ emphasis on communication has led to a widespread enthusiasm for the approach known as communicative language teaching (CLT). One major problem is that stereotypes do not allow for exceptions to the norm. language is seen not just as a set of linguistic items to be learned. because they have something in common. and dignity . Professions also have their own distinct cultures.e. these hidden aspects can cause problems if we are not aware of them and don’t know how to deal with them. People can belong to different cultures at the same time. includes the ability to deal with. say. This is not the same as ethnicity.

which allow learning to take place at the individual’s own pace and in response to their needs. A variation on this is the deep-end approach. followed by hypothesis and experiment (O H E). Yet even though CLT in one form or another is used worldwide. All these approaches focus on what is to be learned. just as in the business world the language is a means to an end. a weak and a strong one. For the less experienced teacher there may also be a feeling of loss of control. and finally produced through some sort of communicative activity. Fluency can take precedence over accuracy. People learn by using the language to achieve a specific outcome. Another alternative suggested by M ichael Lewis is to create a learning cycle which starts with observation. The theory is that language is learned via the interaction. which can make them difficult to plan or assess. the linguistic item which needs to be improved). we are focusing on how we use a language. In the business English classroom this is often done via tasks. pre-ordained fashion. It may be much better to provide the right input and atmosphere. the requirement to use the language in real communication may not work well with a very large group of learners
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. A typical approach here is PPP. with an emphasis on real-life situations. which are activities where the focus is primarily on using language to do something. W hen considering functions. not an end in itself (compare this to traditional language exercises. which makes them not necessarily the best way to provide maximum exposure to useful language. It is often argued that there are two basic forms o f CLT. The disadvantage is that it is often difficult to predict exactly what will happen during a task. so deciding what language items to focus on is not an effective way to teach. study the language. where learners are asked to perform a task that makes demands on their competence in using language. It is the outcome of the task which is important. leading to a focus on specific language items. The main theoretical argument is that people do not learn in a neat. For example. T he weak form of CLT focuses on what is to be learned. A strong form of CLT focuses on how learning takes place. both forms are used in business English classrooms. It is by no means certain that CLT always works well anywhere and everywhere. the learners learn by doing the task. In addition. is the most productive way of learning a language. as opposed to what we know about a language. M any researchers claim that task-base^ learning. Another key aspect of CLT is that languages are learned while using them. where language is presented. H arm er’s ESA model suggests that a teaching sequence can be divided into three components where the learners emotionally engage with the situation. where the focus is primarily on learning language rules). and then activate it. M eaning takes precedence over form. and then their performance is diagnosed. T he great advantage fo x/' business English learners is that the language produced while doing a tasly^ can be immediately relevant. in other words it argues that language is learned via the negotiation o f meaning in real communication. coupled with judicious feedback which allows learners to pay somq' attention to form (that is. practised using a variety of different activities. some tasks can be completed with a minimum of language input from the participants. there are some problems with it.1 • W h a t is special ab ou t business English?
activity).

discourse. • discussed approaches to teaching English. Likewise. In the next chapter we w ill look at ways to gather inform ation about our learners and teaching context. and intercultural competences. and also considered a range o f common teaching contexts. which is often seen as the first stage in the process o f teaching business English. The reality is that teachers pick and choose the approach best suited to their own experience and teaching style. business English can be ta u g h t in many ways.
Conclusion
In this chapter we have: • looked at various types o f learners and teachers. and noted th a t there is no single best method. also play a role. • noted th a t the language o f business English depends on the general and specific contexts where it is being used. Such an eclectic approach typically works well for the more experienced teacher. more appropriate way of doing things which takes into account local expectations and needs. and th a t other factors.H ow to Teach Business English
or with learners whose own educational and cultural background presupposes that the teacher is the only one who speaks. particularly communicative language teaching. • seen th a t business English is fa r more than talking about business or about language. but perhaps less well for the newcomer. what resources they have available. • looked at the concept o f communicative competence. and seen th a t business English learners need to develop linguistic. Classrooms and cultures across the world may have their own. not all non-native English teachers feel comfortable with a method like CLT that can at times require native speaker levels of competence. such as communication skills. and the particular learning needs of the learners.
Looking ahead
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. it is about communicating and doing business in English.

A large-scale needs analysis r (sometimes called a language audit) can be designed to look at an organization and work out its strengths and weaknesses in terms of. The process may include gathering information about future markets. information about the current situation. or those of the company or organization which is paying for the training. allowing it to deal effectively with language problems in various markets and supply chains. Understanding the difference (the training gap) between these two situations leads to the course design (syllabus.essing needs and preferences
• • • • • Needs analysis Needs analysis Communication needs Pedagogic needs Business needs Three examples
Before we can start teaching a course there is a certain amount of information which we have to gather in the form of a needs analysis. and so on). and even competitors. and balance that against strategic goals as well as short-term needs. learning strategies. in terms of the expense of data collection and analysis. Also. Issues to be addressed could include the level of language competence certain post­ holders should have. ^ -T h e basic aim o f a needs analysis is to collect. and simply consists of a series of brief questions which give the teacher a rough idea of the needs of the group. in terms of communicative competence. T he language audit might be a key stage as an organization develops and maintains a language strategy. and examine critically. suppliers. communication in English. or training provider is also a factor. First. Clearly in any company there will be major budgetary implications.the learner’s. All levels of the company will normally be involved. the evaluation of current language training providers. university. and so on. A needs analysis helps the teacher to understand the difference between where the learners are. customers. there is often a difference between a learner’s perceived needs
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. how language competence might figure in recruitment policies. and of interpreting it to decide the way forward. and where they need to be to meet their business aims. methods. in other words where the learners are before teaching begins. we need to be clear whose needs we are talking about . Sometimes this needs analysis is minimal. constraints. and the aim will be to build up a picture of the current situation. and the target situation. which is where they would like to be at the end of the teaching. But at other times a needs analysis can be a more substantial proposition. Sometimes the school.

for example. while at the same time being realistic and not making promises that cannot be met. A teacher working with companies must be aware of this. with the emphasis on how the learning takes place? Here we are talking about the training as seen from the individual learner’s perspective./At the end of all this effort. There is no standard model of needs analysis. A needs analysis is not an objective exercise. and is getting something that looks a little bit rough around the edges. and there is no ‘single best way’ to do it. There are several possible ways of looking at needs analysis. T he former represent the view of the other stakeholders in the equation. the more we find out about our learners’ needs. I w ould like to improve my speaking and my grammar. the co-workers. W h at a needs analysis does is offer a chance to focus on those areas which are more relevant to the learner or the company It provides a series o f snapshots. and must be able to produce a needs analysis which is businesslike and efficient. as inevitably happens as a course progresses.H ow to Teach Business English
and felt needs. but all of which contribute to understanding. Indeed. It is about working with learners to decide on the best way forward. In a sense. part of our job as teachers is to make sure that we are speaking the same
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. it is still inevitably vague in parts. it entails exercising judgm ent and finding compromises to make the best use o f resources in a particular teaching context. T he needs analysis differentiates a general English course from a course for specific purposes. Can we translate needs into a list of products which we as teachers deliver to the learner? This could be a list of language items. such as giving presentations or asking questions in meetings. Here is an example:
Perceived needs Course participants should be able to take part in negotiations w ith foreign partners. but what is im portant is to appreciate what a needs analysis does. such as the teacher. O r should needs be seen in terms of the process of delivery. ' A needs analysis is unique to a specific training situation. the better our understanding. T he felt needs are those needs which represent the learner’s perspective. these are the ‘experts’. the sponsor. the more difficult it can seem to meet those needs. O n certain courses it can also be used as a justification for what happens. or a list of skills. who can identify needs based on their own experience and knowledge. T he more snapshots we take. Tied to this is the problem of using ELT jargon.
Felt needs
Another way of looking at needs is to think about them in terms of what and how we m ight teach. the answer probably draws on both perspectives. particularly regarding what language teaching is and what it can achieve. H ow does a particular learner learn? W h at affective factors need to be considered? W h at methods should I be using? As ever in language teaching. It does not produce a sharply defined list of things to do in the classroom. none of which gives the complete ‘truth’. This vagueness can be a problem with a sponsor or learner who is paying for something well defined.

is rarely a clear-cut thing: a tidy needs analysis. Information gleaned by forms like this provides one
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.
Communication needs
Different types of communication inevitably give rise to different types of communication needs. These have the great advantage that they are easy to run off on a photocopier shortly before a lesson. Learners and sponsors may have other views of what the teacher’s ‘role’ is. Real needs analysis is dynamic.>The rest of this chapter considers different types of needs. for example. or they may need to travel to other countries in order to sell their product. It doesn’t end until the course is over.. interviews. and observation. M any commercial materials and schools provide teachers with a brief needs analysis chart or form to use with learners (see page 18). a variety o f tools can be used. For example. There may also be ethical questions to consider. including questionnaires. which in turn dictates materials design. they may need to be able to use the telephone with Englishspeaking clients. For this part of the needs analysis. before examining three example scenarios. simply collecting data is not enough . However. As discussed in Chapter 1. Needs analysis. is more likely to be encountered in textbooks than in real life. One o f the aims of a communication needs analysis will be to find out as much as possible about the different areas and styles of discourse that learners might engage in. but will also address the teacher’s own need to understand what the learners actually do with the language. and offers ways of meeting the challenges.-A needs analysis in its most basic form is essentially a blend o f inform ation-gathering activities which use a variety o f different perspectives. But it is also the best way we have to produce a focused course. and even then decisions have to be made about what to do with the information gathered. then. the result of which prescribes course design. and negotiation.2 • Assessing needs and preferences
language as those paying for the training (sponsors). business English teachers are often required by their customers to sign some sort of confidentiality agreement. Is all the information gathered really necessary? W ho has access to the information? W h at will the department head be told about their employee? A nd was the employee made aware of this at the time the data was collected? Is the teacher competent enough to use this information in order to make decisions which could affect people’s careers? A nd so on. and teaching institutions may be subject to regulatory constraints on how they manage information (such as Data Protection Acts and privacy laws). communicative competence has several layers.it is in the interpretation and use of this data where the needs analysis really makes its power felt. of which language is only one. Conflict can be avoided by regular consultation. and messy. This will not only give a better idea about the target situation. clarification. which m ight need to be handled with care. and provide a useful insight into the learners’ communicative needs. or what the word ‘grammar’ means. Indeed. T he first part of analysing communication needs is to find out as much as possible about what the learners on the course will need to do in English. D uring a needs analysis teachers gain access to some often quite private or sensitive information.

or as clear) information as m ight have been gathered if the learners had answered these questions in their own language. a possibly serious disadvantage is that the learners are being asked to complete the form in English. For some learners. However. so the teacher may not get as much (or as accurate.H ow to Teach Business English
/
ABC School Needs Analysis Form
Date: Name: Company: Department: Telephone number: Email: Previous language learning experience: Brief job description:
1 I need to improve my English in order to better:
Urgent deal with visitors understand presentations give presentations take p a rt in meetings chair meetings read reports write reports deal with emails speak on the telephone socialize with business partners a n d /o r customers deal with suppliers deal with customers Not urgent
2 My main priority is to. which is the language they are intending to learn.
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. then such questionnaires can also be adapted to suit that specific teaching context. I f the teacher is engaged in in-company work.
of the snapshots that go to build up a composite picture o f the learners’ current situation. it may be worth the effort of translating the form.

Bye. For example.. and analysing the skills needed. There is. But all he hears is H i . when finding out about typical meetings. sees w ha t Jason is doing. a presentation.2 • Assessing needs and preferences
Relatively brief. which can be used to further diagnose target language. A t th a t p oint the boss comes in. and a fter his tenth cup o f coffee he begins to get bored. W ritten examples could have been obtained beforehand. typical agendas. His boss has had an interview w ith the sales departm ent head. um. O f course . more.most o f his tim e is spent in the classroom. and anyway. Further details will need to be sought either by interview or during lessons. The phone rings and one o f the workers starts speaking English. then it is normally possible to get a good idea of what is required by asking detailed questions about the target performance areas.or tw o line emails. hardly used. nor did he know much about the client company. OK . He decides to ask fo r some w ritte n examples and he is given fo u r printouts o f one. it would have been far better to find a day when the salespeople were involved in some sort o f activity that called for real English language use (a meeting with clients. Jason received no guidance from his boss. The first th in g Jason finds is th a t the people in the sales departm ent are only speaking English fo r a tin y proportion o f the tim e.. and asks if materials fo r the course are included in the overall price. because th a t sort o f th in g is handled by his boss back at the language school. Depending on the level and the language competence of the interviewer and interviewee.. w hat other nationalities are present. standardized forms such as these may be convenient. how many people attend..his school has been asked to help a small sales departm ent (five employees) improve its English language skills. job types. It can also be very helpful for a teacher to get direct access to the workplace o f prospective learners. T he issue of confidentiality should have been cleared. or a mixture of both. but the person he asks does not have the tim e rig h t now to fin d copies o f letters or contracts.. so why did he not interview each one? H e could have found out their needs and perspectives first-hand by using a structured questionnaire like the one at the top of page 20... I f direct observation is not feasible. their relationships. The answers to these questions can later be used to design classroom activities. and should have had permission to use it. Yes. This is a rare tre a t . Jason should have been equipped with some sort o f audio recording device. There were only five people. whether any native English speakers are present. Secondly.. o f course. how long meetings last. W h at went wrong? Firstly. Speaking . or suchlike). as shown by this example:
Jason Smith works fo r a small private language school as a teacher . there were no clear aims. and a copy o f a three-year-old com puter handbook. and has gained permission fo r Jason to sit in the office fo r half a day in order to analyse the comm unication needs o f the employees. she is not sure if she can give Jason confidential inform ation.
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. but they are rarely sufficient as the sole source of information. conducting a needs analysis in this way can have its pitfalls.
This apocryphal account can yield a number of lessons. such an interview can be in English or another language. the day chosen was not particularly useful. or at least requested. Nobody really knows w h a t to do w ith him. the teacher will need to know about w hat sort of things are discussed. However.. Jason has no idea.. yes .

the prospective learner may start to question our judgment. if we give a grammar test to someone interested in improving presentations skills. Such questions will help the teacher to get a feel for that type of meeting and allow the creation of realistic simulations. here is some of the information which might be worth noting:
Attendees (names. It should be quick. why): Perceived problem areas: Language learning history: What h e/sh e thinks they need: whether the discourse is formal or informal etc.g. a good placement test needs to have certain characteristics. form al. who. It should also have face validity or be credible to the learner. or some other face-to-face interaction. roles): Type o f discourse (e. in that it should test what it is designed to test. which is a test designed to provide a comparison with other learners (or with known standards or benchmarks) so that learners can be placed with others having similar needs and ability.H o w to Teach Business English
Name: Company: Department: Contact details: Interviewer: Date: D epartm ent role: Job description: Length of time in job: Previous jobs/experience: Examples of English use (where. relaxed): Location: Topics o f conversations: Interlocutors' relationship (who holds the power?): Areas o f conflict: Was it a typical conversation. As well as suiting the requirements of the learners’ specific situation. what is their current communicative competence? One common tool for this is a placement test. Tied in with this is the issue of authenticity (see Chapter 4’s
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. I f the teacher is observing a meeting. which will mirror some of the language used. and easy to administer. It should have validity. when. how. or rare? Did your learner get w ha t she or he wanted? Intercultural aspects: Communication problems:
T he other main part of a communication needs analysis is finding out how good the learners’ language use is.

ideally. they can be asked to give one. the results can be checked against a list o f proficiency or can-do statements. if different testers do the same test. if the learner needs to take part in meetings. A n example extract from the C E F is given on page 22. Once tests have been carried out. if people need to give presentations. and dealing with unpredictable language. the result should be the same. M ost language placement tests ignore intercultural competence completely. A n accountant might be asked to explain a balance sheet to her boss. because the intention is to diagnose any weaknesses. but a potential problem is that many are tied in to using a particular coursebook or doing a particular course (they check the point at which the person can join the course). It is arguable how well they test productive skills (that is. and can be used to get a rough idea of level. This uses knowledge gained from the target needs analysis so that a task can be designed which reflects the real-life situation. These tests are often adequate for assessing receptive language skills such as listening and reading. likewise if the learner took the same test two days later. These charts are useful because they allow teachers to compare their subjects’ current communicative ability and target needs. • Take part in real-time interaction. and listening). There are a number of commercial placement tests available for purchase and on the Internet. One way to get past these problems is to carry out a task-based assessment. he or she probably needs to demonstrate ability to: • Read and understand the points on an agenda. such as the standards provided by the C E F (Com mon European Framework) or A C T FL (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages). where the learner has to produce language). including putting forward a point of view. It should be reliable so that. They also help in placing learners in the most appropriate group.
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. writing. they should get the same result. such as those used by the C E F or A C T FL .2 • Assessing needs and preferences
discussions of authentic language and materials). There is a summary taken from the A C T FL on page 23 (similar guidelines exist for reading. and a secretary m ight have to use the telephone to change an appointment. • Produce a set of minutes summarizing the key decisions. a manager m ight have to discuss changes to a project schedule. It will normally be necessary to produce a list of points which need to be looked at during the assessment. Sometimes they may be specifically drawn up for the company or organization involved. but will not test people for specific job requirements. in the sense that the test should reflect the target language. and thus find the gap. Others test with reference to guidelines and standards. explaining a course of action. For example. and the way it is used (this is why a placement test should. asking for clarification. follow the target situation analysis). Such a test is sometimes called a diagnostic test. So.

Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance {e.H ow to Teach Business English
Table 1. longer texts. very fluently and precisely. Can produce clear. differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations. Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. very basic personal and family information. people he/she knows and things he/she has. competent business English trainers were given ten identical groups to teach. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without suain for either party. local geography. including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. Common Reference Levels: global scale C2 Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. and the means to do the course. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives. well-structured. Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. detailed text on complex subjects.g. Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background. connectors and cohesive devices. showing controlled use of organisational patterns. school. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. etc.
Teacher's needs
I f ten experienced. would they come up with identical approaches? It is highly unlikely. shopping.
Proficient User
Cl
B2
Independent User B1
A2
Basic User A1
Pedagogic needs
Pedagogic needs refer to those needs which exist as a result of the teaching context. Can produce clear. academic and professional purposes. employment). but what happens in the classroom is influenced to a very great extent by the trainer’s
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. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. They m ight do similar things some of the time. leisure. detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work. Can describe experiences and events. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. There are three main aspects to consider: the teacher’s needs. dreams. Can express him/herself spontaneously. reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. the learner’s (learning) needs. and recognise implicit meaning. immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need. Can understand a wide range of demanding.

and what affects that perception. This perspective on learning styles is related to N L P (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). It suggests that there are eight different types o f intelligence. and kinaesthetic (they think in terms of touch and smell and learn best when some kind of physical activity is taking place). that the right and left sides of the brain play different roles in how we process information.the ability to control one’s body in order to do things or solve problems (coordination. They may prefer traditional lectures. and draws attention to how we use our senses. and may appreciate the use of graphics and role-play activities to enhance their learning. models. strengths and weaknesses. two main types of learners can be identified. and theories based on how the mind works and how people behave and communicate. N L P has been useful to some business English teachers because of the insight it gives into various communication skills such as building rapport. • Intrapersonal . auditory (they think in and respond most profoundly to sounds). and clearly structured classroom activities. is for the teacher to consider questions like: • • • • • H ow do I think people learn best? W h at are my strengths and weaknesses? W h at experience do I have? W h at do I know about my own learning style? H ow much of what happens in the classroom is a result of my personality?
Learning needs and styles
Teachers have long recognized that learning success depends on a number o f factors.H ow to Teach Business English
own style. ‘Left-brain’ learners tend to analyse. ‘Linguistic’ emphasizes how language allows us to perceive the world around us. which is a collection of techniques. and so on. depending on which side of their brain is dominant. ‘Neuro’ refers to how we perceive the world through our nervous system. for example. values. one of which is the learning style of the learner. ‘Right-brain’ learners tend to be more impulsive and informal. and needs. but it can also help our learners understand how they perceive the world. O ne broad categorization is based on the findings of research into brain function. then. non-verbal communication. Thus. thus. to help us achieve our aims. and to be logical and objective. which can be developed. reading. and become more precise in our use of language. There are a num ber o f different ways to look at learning styles.sensitivity to one’s own feelings. and how we influence that world. are summarized as follows: • Bodily-Kinaesthetic . Howard G ardner’s multiple intelligence theory provides another way to compare learners’ learning needs. active listening. These intelligences. A n im portant part of a needs analysis. we talk about learners being visual (they think in pictures and respond most readily to visual stimuli).
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. balance etc). physical speed. but that each one of us possesses each intelligence to a greater or lesser degree. experience. ‘Programming’ refers to the idea that we can train ourselves to behave in certain ways.

Finally. the teacher is seen as an expert. Here is a list of points that should be thought about during the means analysis: • W h at facilities are available (e. but the trainer does need to be sensitive to the fact that learners have different needs. encouraging learners’ autonomy. a learner who appears to function well in intrapersonal intelligence m ight benefit from activities which allow time for quiet self-study. what materials to use. and so on. facilities. space. for example. whose job is to tell students what to do or what ‘the right answer’ is. what is not.g. • Logical-M athematical .the ability to use oral and written language to express meaning and remember things. Teachers can look at their learners in terms of these intelligences.g. concepts. shapes. flipchart. and draw conclusions as to what learning styles and strategies might be most suitable. One significant aspect is what materials are available (this is covered in more detail in Chapter 4). refreshments)? • W h a t equipment is available (e. Questions such as who is going to provide the camera and multimedia projectors. numerical skills. it is im portant to remember that needs analysis is about making ongoing evaluations. It is rarely practical to carry out psychological or psychometric testing as part of a needs analysis. have a direct impact. and what didn’t. This can cause problems when a teacher trained and experienced in W estern learning environments sees his or her role as a facilitator. • M usical . let us assume that the teacher has been asked to run a course on presentations skills for a company. in many Asian contexts. trainers will develop their understanding as the course progresses. projectors)?
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.the ability to deal with problems in a logical way. whose photocopying facilities to use. So teachers should continually be asking themselves questions like ‘W h at worked well today. board.
Means analysis
A means analysis is a description of the training environment: what is available in terms of equipment. cause and effect. M eans analysis normally produces lists which have an im portant bearing on the cost of the course. and that something can be done about it (after all. melody. ability to interact with others. and visually-based activities. • Naturalist —the ability to recognize and classify things in the natural world. So. and a person who is strong in logical-mathematical intelligence might benefit from activities which analyse language structures. pitch.the ability to deal with forms.sensitivity to others’ moods.2 • Assessing needs and preferences
• Interpersonal . and why?’. • Visual-Spatial . and perhaps more importantly. The training is to take place in a hotel. and time. in any group of students there may be several different styles among the individuals in the group). whereas the learners expect something completely different. rooms. for example. • Verbal-Linguistic .sensitivity to rhythm. For example. cameras. Learning styles are also influenced by the culture of the learners. colour. seating. O f course. location.

while remaining realistic about what is promised. It is important to make it clear to sponsors that their needs are recognized and will be addressed. this is done before starting to meet people. even if they both have the same marks in a language placement test. A nd it is equally important to remember that businesses are interested in getting something worthwhile for their money. These will all have certain perspectives on what the learners will need to cover on a course. who may be a company. better presenters.H ow to Teach Business English
• • • •
Business needs
H ow much time is available to design the course and prepare materials? H ow much time is available for training? W h at is the availability of suitable materials? W h at time o f the day will learners be available?
Understanding business needs is of critical importance. But there are also limitations. but remember that such documents are designed to tem pt would-be investors. W e should find out a little about the product if we can. W e will also need to understand the various business functions of those involved. or whatever. technical specifications. and asking about how the company is organized (which might be information not available to the public). or a head of department. T he commercial clerks may be more interested in the process (and paperwork) of actually getting a product to the customer. and next week’s balance sheet. A provider of language training must consider the needs of the sponsor. A high-level manager in a multinational corporation will not have the same needs as a person on the shop floor. W ith the Internet this is relatively easy to do. T he financial people will be more interested in the last auditors’ report. If we are analysing the engineering department. or the H R (Hum an Resources) manager. and try and look at it from a production point of view. and so on.
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. the market. its size. for example. be it more motivated workers. W h at we are looking for at this stage is some basic information so that when we go into the company and start talking to people we can demonstrate our professionalism and ask the right questions. There is a difference between asking a manager what the company’s main product is (which we should know already). One way to understand business needs better is to learn as much as possible about the company This means doing some research. Similarly. As has already been pointed out in Chapter 1. the level o f the person in the company hierarchy is also relevant. websites which are open to the public may not have all the details a teacher needs. managers. with all the terms of payment and delivery which that involves. reading an annual report will give one perspective. and so on. its perspective will be very different from that of people in the financial department. Corporate clients are normally favourably impressed if the trainer or language school they are dealing with knows something about the company’s product. T he engineers who build mobile phones will have a very different perspective from the one we may have as a user. Ideally. A company pays for training because it feels that the investment will lead to some sort o f profit. They will be interested in materials. more effective negotiators.

the sponsors. the H R department. and so on. This has already been covered (see section above. Note also that the teacher is able to adjust the sessions according to the learner’s availability. but will probably prefer to wait until she meets the students before she can design the course in any great detail. Work shadowing is one way to get around this problem. on Communication needs). evaluative process. as well as some sort of questionnaire which will tell her more about the students’ own perspectives.
Three examples
Here are some examples o f needs analysis in practice. and how he treats the learner (‘W e agreed’. and as pointers for further research. These meetings are also a chance to fill in the gaps in knowledge about the company. and it might be that people simply do not want the teacher present when they are meeting customers. and could include the learners. Comment: T he apparent ease with which success was achieved belies the fact that the teacher is obviously very experienced with presentation training. the head of departments whose employees the trainer will be working with. and observes everything that that person does. Here the teacher simply stays with a person for an agreed length of time. after her initial meetings. Clearly. A key stakeholder will be the person who triggered the course in the first place: the teacher will want to discuss reasons and possible outcomes for the innovation in as much depth as possible.
Example 2 (page 29)
This example contains diary notes written by an experienced business English teacher after a series o f 1 -to -l lessons with a senior executive in a multinational company. and is
27
. Teachers will also use these meetings to find out exactly what the company is expecting them to provide.
Example 1 (page 28)
These notes were written. and is an excellent tool for getting to understand a company’s and/or learner’s needs. showing the various interrelated factors we have been considering. Understanding the business situation where the learner will be using the language is also important. There may be issues of confidentiality. D uring this first lesson she will want to have activities which allow her to assess the students’ spoken interaction. ‘W orked through the script together’. ‘We now think’). by a business English teacher about to start her first course with pre-experienced students in a university. but it is worth reinforcing the point that gathering this information is not always easy. emphasizing that information gathering is an ongoing. A variation is to include teaching and feedback at opportune moments.2 • Assessing needs and preferences
A t some point the teacher will need to meet the various stakeholders. T he im portant thing to note here is how the teacher’s awareness of the learner’s needs changes with each session. Comment: This teacher has made an excellent start. in this case the teacher has assessed the character of the learner as someone who is able to handle the responsibility for her own learning. Note how the need to work on chunking and intonation was recognized almost at once. These are the people who have some sort of stake or interest in the English training.

• Write a report at the end o-f the work placement summarizing what they have done (normally around 2. Aim -to quali-fy with degrees in business admin. Materials: Each student has a copy O -f ' English ■for Business Studies’. multimedia projector. Other -factors: Class Size: 30 ish Location: Twice a week. Likely language . each -followed by comprehension exercises. lecture hall.
-
Example 1
28
. • Travel to various locations in order to meet with partners/clients (but not as key decision makers). other -teachers (very useful). • Give in-formal presentations within context o-f project/departmental meetings. Mixed ability class. Typically work placements require the student to: • Work in a number o-f di-f-ferent departments (e. two -telephone interviews with graduated students. -finance. language work (vocabulary and grammar). and a newspaper article -followed by comprehension questions. Entrance examination comprised a S 0 0 word essay on a topic o-f their own choice. Camera can be booked in advance -from secretary’s o-f-fice. Language level: All students have a minimum pass grade C at the university entrance examinations. published by SUP” ?"?” ? Book consists o-f a number o-f newspaper/magazine articles on business topics. Three 13 week semesters.H ow to Teach Business English
Sources o-f in-formation: Dean (I? minute interview). using schedules etc). Requirement to do a 3 month work placement overseas after 1st year. a multiple choice grammar te st. production. attending meetings. but note that some students passed at grade A.English. in 3 years. Summary): Students currently in -their 1st year at uni. Homework: Acceptable (but remember. • Participate as a team member in a project Canalising in-formation. Classroom -facilities: whiteboard. 4 suggested topics -for class discussion. sales. marketing etc). correcting homework is not paid extra). 90mins per session.g.000 words).

com-.S-Ho®Meqaelectrcmiks.apparently some emergency somewhere. necessary.
Afternote .
Notes after session 4 (40 minutes)
Short session today . Need to liaise with PA over precise timings. speech was a qreat success. where she is to give a keynote speech. Appears to speak well.
. Tel: 36GZ7^Z8 (via PA)
Function-. andjust needs to become more familiar with
it.she read every word( Very monotonous. She wants to talk to me about more
Example 2
29
. .
. Very confident. Apparently the.
Notes after session Z (1 hour) Worked through the.
‘
. We agreed it would also be useful fo r her to have some prepared spontaneous1 opening remarks and a/so some practice dealing with questions. Need to work on chunking and intonation. Company. Agreed that we would film her next attempt so that she could see what it looks & sounds like. and has good command o f vocabulary.
Initial thoughts-. Contact Details■ ■Em ail-.
Notes after session 3 (Z hours) Chunking the script seems to have worked well although more practice. script together going through her chunking ideas.
Main needs: Preparation for an international conference in Rome next month.IS minutes Name-. Was able to describe her job and her needs without any problem.
. One or two areas still need to be sorted out. She now has a fully revised script. Megaelectrowks Tnc. Roar'd member responsible -for European investments.Sandra sent me an email to say thank you. Four two-hour sessions. I agreed to record myself reading the script so that she has a model. Must organise a camera & microphone. over the next two weeks. Suggested she gives her speech at the first session. I must send her a list o f guidelines fo r these by email tonight.
Availability. She was pleased with the recording and is now more aware o f the -need to raise her head and make occasional eye contactI We row think it might be worth rewriting one or two sections o f the speech especially the introduction and conclusion.
Notes after session 1 (Z hours) 40 minute keynote speech .2 • Assessing needs and preferences
Notes after initial meeting .Sandra Ho.

A long-term goal for the company is for the consultants to be able to conduct their business in English (currently interpreters are used). The secretarial staff often have to deal with telephone calls and emails in English. He was very clear. Facilities will be provided on company premises. Depending on the results of the placement tests currently being carried out. supplemented by tailor-made m aterials. Should be restricted to consultants likely to have to interact with custom ers in English. while the consultants increasingly have to deal with clients who do not speak Italian. and asked Wonder Language School to carry out a needs analysis and produce recommendations for a training program to m eet their needs. Background Lambada Associates supplies technical consultants to custom ers both within and outside Italy. Content can partly be based on technical issues norm ally encountered by the participants. The owner of the company. Should concentrate on skills such as telephoning. (*See page 50 for more on fram ew ork m aterials. identified the requirem ent for improvements to be made in these areas. which would meet the needs of m any in the company. but develop general fluency norm ally associated with this level. Luigi Lambada. with suggestions for use. the following initial decisions have been agreed: • Training to take place twice a week.
Example 3
30
. • Upper intermediate: 70 hours.) Next steps 1 Use placement results to form initial groups. 2 Confirm tim es and location of training. M aterials likely to be framework*. m aking small talk. including DVD player and multimedia projector. The training will concentrate on presentation skills. Emails should be introduced. Should concentrate on the skills already covered in preinterm ediate course (see above). • There is no requirem ent for a commercial test at the end of the course.H ow to Teach Business English
Aim To assess language competence within Lambada Associates. and recommend training m easures to improve standards of spoken and w ritten English. 4 Select and brief trainers. Meeds analysis I interviewed 4 members of the company and discussed specific needs and perceived problem areas. concentrating on individual needs. and providing a foundation for fu rth e r training. • Attendance records are to be submitted to Mr Lambada at the end of each month. 3 Design course and select m aterials. • M aterials should be based on a commercially available coursebook. I also discussed various options with Mr Lambada. • Intermediate: 70 hours. however. Appendices 1 Sum mary of authentic m aterial collected. • Groups should not be larger th an eight people. th a t the initial need was for an extensive general English program me at a low level. improving general oral fluency. as well as language necessary for describing/discussing technical issues. 2 Ideas for simulations. role-plays. tasks. The following outlines for each level were also agreed: • Initial course (Pre-interm ediate): 70 hours. 90 m inutes per session.

and w hat the other main stakeholders in the teaching process perceive as the main priorities. • business needs.
Conclusions
In this chapter we have: • seen th a t needs analysis. Note how some of the key course design decisions already appear to have been made.
31
. the two are often inextricably linked. thus leading to a focused course. including teacher's needs. based on the requirements o f the teaching situation. Note that. which partly reflect the priorities and conditions laid down by the sponsor. in this case. is the foundation o f any business English course.
Example 3 (page 30)
This is a copy of a report submitted by a freelance teacher for a language school. as well as a placement test which measures current communicative ability. preparatory and ongoing. teachers use th e ir analysis o f this in course design and choice o f materials. M r Lambada. • pedagogic needs. which allow them to compare a targe t situation w ith a current situation. learners' learning styles. • considered d iffe re n t tools th a t teachers can use to collect a series of snapshots. and course design: in practice. based on the teacher's understanding o f w hat a particular business does. and a means analysis. This report illustrates once again the difficulty of making a clear divide between information gathering. Comments: Unlike the previous two examples. based on an assessment o f situations (in the learner's job) which require the use o f English. even though the agreed sessions are over. We have seen th a t a business English needs analysis has three main elements. this somewhat formal report has been written so that someone else can take over the running of the course.2 • Assessing needs and preferences
flexible enough to agree to record himself reading the script. as follows: • communication needs. the sponsors already have firm ideas about what they want the course to look like. the subjects o f Chapters 3 and 4.
Looking ahead
Having gathered the relevant inform ation.

measurable. emails requesting and c la rifyin g in fo rm a tio n abo ut p o te n tia l p artners' scope o f supply. The course aims to cover all types o f email writing relevant to the department.a course
objectives Syllabus components Negotiating the syllabus Managing the logistics Setting objectives
Designing a business English course is a m atter of making a series of decisions based on information gathered during a needs analysis. and break up the aim into smaller elements of learning so that the outcomes are better understood and are couched in more precise terms. limited to a certain time period). A t the end o f the course the participants w ill be able to send and receive. Very often other stakeholders. and w ith in th e co nte xt o f in te rn a l company correspondence. relevant. M ost business English courses use performance (behavioural) objectives. which typically describe what the learner is expected to do. and may even assist in writing them. participants can express and comm ent on views and opinions in appropriate w ritte n form . Here are some examples:
The aim o f this course is to improve email w ritin g skills. There are different ways to express objectives. Level 4: A t this level. Such objectives use words like will learn. achievable. Objectives should be specific. and can:
Staff will learn how to make. A useful acronym to use when writing objectives is SM ART. under what conditions. and to what level or standard. confirm. depending on the context. and change appointments with customers by email.
32
. will want to look at these objectives too. Participants will learn how to write emails within the context of the needs of the marketing department. such as a sponsor of a course. so th a t these can be understood by native speakers. Aims are general statements about why the course is happening.
Objectives are more specific. A useful place to start is to decide on the course aims and objectives: what we (and others) want out of the course. and tim ebound (that is. w ith o u t guidance o r supervision. w ill be able to.

3 • Designing a course

Sometimes a course might use teaching or training objectives which, unlike performance objectives, do not normally specify what the learner will be able to do at the end of the course. Instead they are designed to give the teacher useful guidelines, and they may use technical words which learners may not be familiar with. Examples are as follows:
The modules on this course w ill provide a fo undation fo r fu tu re letterw ritin g courses a t interm ediate level o r higher. The course is designed to increase participants' awareness of appropriacy and register in email communication. The train in g w ill enable participants at management level to interact more effectively by email w ith th e ir peers in the US.

It can be valuable to get learners to write their own objectives, and these can then be discussed in terms of how relevant or achievable they are. For example, learners can be asked to complete the following sentence: A t the end o f this course I hope to be able t o __ In practical terms, it is often difficult to describe language or business communication skills with the desired precision, and sometimes such skills are hard to quantify and measure. In such cases a compromise may be to list typical behaviours that might be expected of the participant:
The aim o f the course is to prepare participants to take part in negotiations w ith foreign partners. Participants w ill typically be able to demonstrate: • an increased awareness of different types of negotiation, • an understanding of common strategies and tactics, • the ability to listen actively to what is being said, • the ability to clarify and summarize at appropriate moments.

Such objectives might be presented in a slightly different form to the learner:
This course w ill help you to take part in negotiations w ith foreign partners. You w ill learn about: • different types of negotiations, • the most common strategies and tactics, • how to listen carefully to what is being said, • how to clarify and summarize at appropriate moments.

Note that these behaviours are not as precise as those discussed above (How do you measure ‘increased awareness’ or ‘an understanding’? W h at does ‘learn about’ actually mean?). It is also im portant to remember that the business objective may be quite different. For the above negotiation training, for example, the real business objective may be to negotiate successfully, in order to maximize the company’s profits in a new market (the aim). In other words, the outcome of the course can be seen not only in

33

H ow to Teach Business English

terms of what has been learned (focusing on the learner), but also in terms of changes in the workplace or in business results, resulting from the training having taken place (focusing on the business). Such issues relate to course evaluation and accountability (who is responsible for the success of the course, or for ensuring best value return on expenditure?), and are becoming more common as organizations and schools try to get as much as possible out of limited budgets; they are discussed in more detail in Chapter 9. Finally, there may be other practical constraints in the business English teaching world. One of these is that teachers might only be able to find out if objectives are achievable after the course starts. Another is that sometimes the people on the course turn out to have completely different objectives from those formally identified before it started. M ost experienced teachers will testify to the comm on problem o f irregular attendance; many participants do not come to classes regularly. There are many possible reasons for this; they may have too much work, or they may find that the teaching is not proving as effective as they had hoped and so start to cut lessons. W hatever the reason, in some companies managers can get annoyed with staff who agree to attend a course, and then find that they have other, more pressing priorities. This can sometimes reflect on the teacher, as staff attem pt to argue that the course was not that good anyway. So, it is sometimes helpful to agree an additional objective with course sponsors, such as:
Attendance: to complete the course successfully, participants w ill attend 18 o u t o f 20 classes. The p a rticip a n t w ill complete 15 modules from the online syllabus by June 1.

Syllabus components

Once we know what we want the course to achieve, we can move on to thinking about the syllabus. This is, essentially, a list o f what is to be covered during the course, and in what order. One key principle is that the syllabus should focus on language needed to perform a particular business task, not merely to talk about it. M ost business English learners need to be able to communicate within a certain context, so the syllabus must reflect the discourse that the learners will face in the workplace. For efficiency, teachers must ensure that this exposure to useful language is not random. So the course designer’s job includes finding the most common language forms that will help the learner to communicate, and planning how and when the learner will encounter them. This language needs to be learnable, which means that it must be appropriate to the level of the learner. T he learning must also be achievable in the time allowed; for example, it is unrealistic to suggest that a complete beginner will be able to take part in complex negotiations after a week’s teaching. T he syllabus provides a structure that puts the selected language into orderly, manageable chunks, with both the content and the order matched to the learners and their situation. It also provides a basis for decisions about materials.

34

3 • Designing a course

A useful technique for designing a course is to use a grid or framework which sets out the aims and objectives, followed by all the elements that we believe are necessary for someone to be able to meet those objectives. The main components of this framework are based on the competences identified in Chapter 1 (linguistic competence, discourse competence, and intercultural competence), together w ith the guidelines offered by communicative language teaching, and our own understanding of what our learners need. Thus, the syllabus will take into account not only what is to be learned, but also how it is to be learned. It will normally consist of a combination of the following components (sometimes called threads, because they weave through the course and could be seen as holding it together): • • • • • • • • • • • • • Gramm ar (e.g. tenses, word order, verb patterns, relative clauses) Lexis (e.g. vocabulary, idioms, expressions, collocations) Pronunciation (e.g. intonation, rhythm, stress, chunking) Functions (e.g. complaining, agreeing, persuading, explaining) Business skills (e.g. presenting, negotiating, telephoning, socializing) Topics (e.g. finance, marketing, production, management) Learning strategies (e.g. learning styles, recording vocabulary, preparing for a test) Situations (e.g. assisting visitors, checking into a hotel, running a meeting) Texts (e.g. examples of spoken or written discourse) Language skills (e.g. reading, writing, listening, speaking) Intercultural skills (e.g. defining culture, comparing cultures, awareness activities) Storyline approach (e.g. materials have a set of characters who form the basis for a storyline) Tasks (activities in which learners use language to do something and achieve an outcome)

Organizing the syllabus

Determ ining the order of the syllabus can be done in different ways. A common way is to put the simpler things first. For example, a grammar tense which appears straightforward (e.g. present simple) may be taught before a concept that appears to be more complex (e.g. modal verbs). Standard phrases for starting a telephone conversation are taught and practised before moving on to more complicated role-plays involving their use in a real phone call. Signposting language in presentations (see Chapter 5) is taught before asking learners to put an introduction together. Further practice on introductions m ight be done before asking learners to give a presentation. Familiarity might also be a guideline. It might make sense for learners to cover familiar situations or topics before unfamiliar ones. For example, it is probably easier for a learner to give a presentation on his or her own job than on something which m ight be less familiar (or perhaps conceptually more challenging), such as business ethics or politics.

35

and/or intercultural topics as necessary. and which can fit logically into the time available. or talking about the future is coupled with making arrangements. are normally independent blocks which can be put together in various ways to create a course. pronunciation. and dealing with the challenges imposed by the new culture (both corporate and national) was a priority. One unit may lead on to the next. needed at meetings.so conditionals are often coupled with negotiations.H ow to Teach Business English
Sometimes the order is based on need. Their factory had recently been taken over by a US company. Often such blocks have a standard format. In coursebooks. M odules. By way of contrast. it is useful if the syllabus can be divided into teaching blocks which have their own aims or objectives. it might be wise to cover areas of a higher priority first. Another reason for organizing syllabuses in a certain way is that sometimes certain language items seem to hang naturally with specific topics or functions . or who may need to do so in future.the teacher is able to focus on lexis. these blocks are often called units. This course was specifically designed to improve the managers’ impromptu presentation skills. T he need for variety and balance in teaching might also influence what activities are chosen. because the need is perceived to be more immediate. but there is normally some continuity between units. if the course is going to take several months. The course also gives the learner the chance to focus on specific linguistic items. Finally. Note that the syllabus is designed to allow flexibility . The teacher simply has to select the relevant modules for a particular group. Such a book could well form an excellent basis for the intermediate group of learners described in Example 3 in Chapter 2 (the W onder Language School needs analysis).
Two examples of syllabuses
T he example on page 37 (top) is a course outline from a commercially available coursebook (In-company Intermediate by M ark Powell). many schools and teachers have ready-to-go’ modules on specific communication skills. which had been identified as an area of concern. and incorporate different types of activities which allow flexibility and change o f pace in order to meet the needs of a particular group. for example. Receptionists might benefit from telephone training-before letter-writing skills. although the teacher would probably need to supplement it with authentic materials and activities reflecting more precise company needs. which is targeted at learners who sometimes have to use English at work. T he topics and texts (spoken and written) provide ample opportunity for learners to focus on the types of discourses and communication skills they will need to know. each of which has a logical or thematic coherence. in contrast. while at the same time following a clear plan of action. for example. bottom). the next example is an extract from a syllabus produced for a group of Greek factory managers (see page 37. even if the unit is not necessarily to be completed in one lesson. in this case grammar and lexis.
36
. or there may be flexibility with the order in which they are used.

3 • Designing a course
Unit and topics
I | Communication skills j and tasks
Completing a needs analysis Doing a quiz on languages Discussing attitudes to English using expressions for talking about language needs & learning preferences Describing people Discussing appropriate conversation topics Keeping the conversation going Networking
Reading and listening texts
F! Article about English dominating world communications L People talking about their attitudes to learning English
| Grammar and Lexis links
1 International English p4
la lk in g points English as a global language
2 Making contacts
p6 Networking Conferences
L Extracts from a business travel programme on conference venues L People gossiping at a conference
Present Simple Present Continuous Present Simple vs Present Continuous Past Simple Time adverbs for. up. B Discuss and analyse techniques used to emphasize. soften. out. persuading Emphasizing. C Practise such techniques in a controlled environment. softening. ago. D Practise giving im prom ptu presentations. Time available: One-and-a-half days Objective A /B A /B C C D E Time 09:00-11:00 11:15-13:15 14:30-16:30 16:45-18:45 09:00-11:00 11:00-13:15 Content Watch / discuss videos Watch / discuss videos Emphasizing. over. during. before
Collocations relating to conferences Verb + prepositions
L People socialising at a conference
&
3 Making calls p i 1
Desk work Using the telephone
Making telephone phrases Exchanging information on the telephone
L
Planning a telephone call
L Voice mail messages L Telephone conversations
Telephone expressions for dealing with difficulties & distractions Phrasal verbs with on. down
4 Keeping track p i6
Meetings Meeting skills
Checking & clarifying facts & figures Querying information
L
Extracts from meetings
Fi Texts: the Budweiser companies L Extracts from a meeting L A briefing meeting
Comparatives & superlatives Comparative & superlative expressions
ft
5 Speed of life p23
la lk in g points 1 ime management Pressure at w ork
Discussing time management strategies Discussing statements on how speed affects your working life
R Mini-texts: statistics about the working week F! Extract from Getting Things Done by Roger Black L People talking about how speed affects their work
L People talking about how they unwind after work
6 Business travel
p23 Networking Travelling on business
Expressing likes & dislikes about travelling on business Making polite requests & enquiries Situational roleplays Identifying signs as British or American English Greeting visitors
L
Extracts from business travel conversations
Polite question forms Indirect questions
Collocations relating to travel
F: Article from Newsweek about people who live in two cities L Short exchanges in British & American English L Conversations at the airport
From In-company Intermediate by Powell
Aim: to improve im prom ptu presentation skills Objectives: participants w ill: A Watch a series o f recorded presentations (produced by US managers). softening. persuading Presentations practice Feedback
37
. E Take part in feedback activities designed to focus on any weaknesses. in. and persuade. off.

........ or meets a sponsor’s aims........... A variation on this is to give learners different options during the course: do they want to do this or that next week? Teachers m ight allow learners to develop their own tasks and activities.. which are such im portant elements in group work.. or the teacher’s own expertise and experience...... Date:........ in effect.........this time... and then pass the sheets round so that everyone can see what their colleagues want and do not want..........indeed....... They fill in the first two questions on their own. Such an approach emphasizes the need for consensus and compromise.......... the aim is to guide learners towards a possible syllabus by suggesting possible options (see page 39). A nd sometimes it may be necessary for the teacher to guide the discussions so that the end result is achievable....... This has the major advantage that the learners are usually much more motivated because they helped design what is to be done..H o w to Teach Business English
Negotiating the syllabus
W ith many classes...........
38
...... and can understand that different people want different things.. For example.............. often the best way to identify w hat should be included on a course is for the teacher to sit down with the learners (and other stakeholders) and negotiate the syllabus...the teacher gives learners the following sheet.. T he syllabus can be negotiated at any time ........................ These sheets can be used to review the course later:
Course Negotiation What I want from this course: What I don’t want from this course: What the group wants from this course: N am e:........ Generating the syllabus in this way brings home to many learners that what happens is actually a compromise....................... G etting them to sign at the bottom of the page is a useful way to remind them that they are part of the success of the course................. Here are three activities for negotiating the syllabus on day one of a course: W hat the group wants . the teacher and learners can re-negotiate as the course progresses.... the answer to which is........ if the course is covering presentation skills. Sometimes there are practical issues which influence what actually happens........... such as availability o f video equipment........................................................ or the criteria for success..... S ig n atu re:......................................
Negotiating priorities ............... T he sheets are then used as a basis for the third question..... or the length.. the syllabus and which will have to be some amalgam of the differing priorities that have surfaced................ the learners could make decisions about the topics o f their own presentations.....

Note that the list is a mixture of communication skills and specific content which is relevant only to the people concerned (context note: K27 is based in France. My list Colleague’s list Group list Learning about gram mar Using specialist vocabulary Using general vocabulary Reading texts Writing letters Speaking activities Listening to recordings
Now show your list to a colleague and negotiate a new list (second column). based on a needs analysis for a corporate department. discuss the list as a group and negotiate a group list (third column). Add three more learning activities. while K33 is a department based in the US):
The following list of course objectives is based on pre-course discussions with K27 and K33 management. organization show awareness of cultural differences between the USA and France make small talk and socialize with K33 staff read and discuss technical reports issued by K33 give informal presentations about project developments to K33 staff manage telephone conversations with K33 staff discuss quality issues and internal procedures deal with email correspondence between K27 and K33
39
.
8 Refining objectives —this is a much more focused third option. Finally. Read the list. and then decide which is the most important for you.3 • Designing a course
Look at the following list. and which the least. remove or change?
Objectives:
At the end of the course K27 staff will be able to: • • • • • • • • describe K27’s scope of supply. roles of key persons. Order the list from 1 (most important) to 10 (least important). Do you agree with the contents? What would you add.

H ow to Teach Business English
Managing the logistics
Course design is not only about deciding what to include in the syllabus. Even in a school classroom. however well the syllabus has been thought out. T he disadvantage is that attendance and motivation can be a problem. for example. In practice. for example). There are many practical considerations which can influence what happens (see Chapter 2). but also have a three-day intensive session every three months. and is discussed in greater detail later in this book (see Chapter 7). to ten days in a hotel. learners may attend 90-minute extensive classes once a week throughout the year. This mixture of face-to-face (F2F) and distance learning is sometimes known as blended learning. he or she tends to stay. For most teachers in schools. Business English learners can be critical and demanding customers. and such professionalism can and should be designed into the course.
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. Extensive training normally refers to regular but short sessions. This is typical of some in-company training. for a few weeks. O n all courses there are practical. but in many business English teaching contexts the teacher is the only representative of the training provider on site. the terms seem to be used differently by different organizations. the teacher needs to be well prepared and would be wise to check practical aspects of course delivery beforehand. O ften intensive training goes under the name of workshops or seminars. A third variation is to have part or all of the course delivered at a distance. T he advantage is that such classes cater for those learners who cannot find time to take an intensive course. Once the learner is committed to the course. and is often more efficient in its use of time (no need to warm learners up every 90 minutes. or other hired venue. but some teachers. but also for pre-experienced groups such as Business studies students who are doing English as just one part of a course of study. or in a hotel. T he other key advantage is that attendance is not normally a problem. intensive training leads to noticeable improvement. In some schools and organizations these are not the teacher’s responsibility. will often be heavily involved in administration. which aim to focus on specific topics. logistical issues which need to be addressed beforehand. Distance learning brings in an additional facet to the already complex business of course design. M any courses combine the two types. For many learners. such issues will probably be coordinated by administrative staff. Similarly. working all day. One decision which needs to be made is whether the teaching is to be intensive or extensive. issues such as costs and budgets may have a significant influence on the course design. such as two 90-minute sessions per week. using an expensive 5-star hotel provides a very different learning experience to using a small classroom in the depths o f a private language school or a spare conference room in company offices. particularly freelancers. Intensive training is often used where time is short and where there are specific performance objectives to achieve. particularly where one of the media used is electronic. in the world of business English teaching. Simple things like a broken m onitor or shoddy materials can easily ruin a course. Business English learners expect a high level of professionalism in the way a course is run. It tends to be much more focused than extensive training. be it in­ company. Intensive training can be anything from a few hours a day.

so it is im portant that it is optimally arranged. pens). Once the learners have been identified and placed into the appropriate group.this is the place where teacher and learners are going to spend most of their time. interactive whiteboard. O ther issues to think about include ventilation.g. Here is a checklist to help with this: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Course title (and maybe teacher or school’s name) Course dates Address of venue Start and end times Payment details (are all necessary forms included?) Clothing requirements (dress code on course. no smoking. no mobile phones on in class)
O ther factors which may need to be coordinated before the course starts include the following: • T h e training room . • T h e venue .3 • Designing a course
A close examination of the logistics behind a hotel-based residential course will exemplify the sorts of issues involved.these need to be issued to all learners.g. or hotel foyer. heating. or with chairs in a U-shape. writing equipment. if well designed. there are a number of things to consider: • Pre-course jo in in g instructions . lounge area.g. and noise. overhead projector. shops. Good instructions serve the purpose not only of providing relevant information but also. although in some cases it may be possible to use the corridor. places of worship. sunlight. the teacher will also need to ensure that the necessary break-out/syndicate rooms (rooms for additional activities such as preparation for a negotiation) are available. can help to ensure that the learner arrives motivated and ready to go. it is not the only place where teachers and learners will spend their time. and will also need to set up and test any equipment which is to be used (e.although the training room is key. or in small groups around tables?). Meal arrangements Outline course content Course materials provided Things to bring (e. It can be an inauspicious start for both teacher and learners if participants do not know w hat they are supposed to do. T he teacher should allow plenty o f time to check the layout beforehand (are desks and chairs to be laid out in rows. If the syllabus calls for lots of group work. any pre-sent materials) ‘Code of conduct’ (e. multimedia equipment. appropriate leisure wear) Pre-course reading or other preparation Information about the local area Travel instructions and tips (and map?) Contact name and details (in case of difficulties) Facilities in hotel Nearest banks. video camera. T he teacher should
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. medical assistance etc.

topics. and where they will be in case of problems. • looked at factors which m ight influence the choice o f components. Flexibility. pronunciation. • noted th a t a syllabus involves making decisions about w hat is to be covered.g. • examined ways o f negotiating a syllabus w ith learners. including difficulty. learning strategies. it is the materials which provide the teacher w ith the support necessary to run an effective course. once in the classroom. business skills. fam iliarity.
Looking ahead
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. intercultural skills. and tasks. lexis. in th a t learners and teachers all need to be aware o f where they need to be.. and in w h a t order. if there is an evening start. • looked at components th a t m ight go into a syllabus. This is the subject o f the next chapter. and need. We have seen th a t gathering inform ation and designing a course are essential elements in business English teaching.H ow to Teach Business English
therefore make sure that appropriate care is taken with planning for free time (e. venue problems (double-booked. • looked at some examples o f a course outline. However. and inventiveness may be called for!
Conclusion
In this chapter we have: • looked at the importance o f setting aims and objectives. it may be useful to start the course with a social event to help build group rapport and get everyone to feel more relaxed). language skills. and have access to the resources they need to do it.teachers should ask themselves. texts. • Contingency plans . patience. situations. ‘W h at happens if . inappropriate food). illness. including grammar. Finally. Possible problems include: interruptions. materials or guest speakers that fail to arrive. and be prepared to deal with the situation accordingly. dirty. It is also worth checking up on Internet availability and photocopying facilities. w hat they are to do. the teacher should not forget to find out who the key members of the hotel staff are. storyline. functions.. • recognized th a t logistics also have a critical role to play. ?’. distractions.

depending on their cultural background and learning context. and so on. M any of the pedagogic decisions. and particularly those for pre-experienced groups. or indeed any massproduced material. up-to-date content. many coursebooks come as part of a package that includes comprehensive teacher’s guides and resources. or w ithout being adapted in some way. They can include culturally inappropriate content. Price m ight also be
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. and authenticity. It is worth thinking about the different perspectives of those connected with coursebooks. and there are very good reasons for this. simulations. However. and they may include assumptions about language learning which do not always fit with the teacher’s or learners’ own perceptions of how best to learn a language. and it is rare that a coursebook can do this completely successfully without any additional material. Im portant factors for them could include layout. relevance. business English teaching is about meeting the needs of the learners and/or their sponsors. self-study sections. T he learners might have very specific requirements. materials produced in-company. some might say. audio and video resources. and it m ight seem that all a teacher has to do is find those that best fit the needs and aims of their learners. they may also provide a window on the business world. there are various caveats that need to be borne in mind when using published coursebooks. Coursebooks can sometimes date fairly quickly. are already made. Coursebooks are popular all over the world. entertainment. revision opportunities. A coursebook provides a solid framework to work with. and case studies Coursebooks and other ready-made materials
There is a large (and. For certain types of courses. M ost coursebooks look professional. which is normally important with business English learners. As we have seen. regular progress checks. self-study materials. supplementary materials for the students. clear structure. bewildering) range of different offthe-shelf language teaching publications available. reference sections. In addition.Coursebooks and other ready-made materials Tailor-made materials The learner as a resource Framework materials Authentic materials Role-plays. such as course content and methodology. Perhaps their most obvious advantage is that they can save the teacher a lot o f work. which is particularly useful for the less experienced teacher or one who is under time pressure.

do we (and should we) use the same criteria as for an artificial
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. on the other hand. come across as contrived because they have been designed to focus on particular lexis or forms. and how much preparation time is needed and available. however. seen in recent years. depending on their experience. supported by supplementary material which can be selected according to need.H ow to Teach Business English
a factor. The publishers may have different priorities again. One way to counter this. Others argue that there is nothing inherently wrong with using non-authentic language. do they do it in the way they would do it were they not in the classroom? Very few people in a company actually read newspaper articles in English as part of their job. or has it been specially generated or substantially adapted for language teaching purposes? Some teachers argue that course texts. short courses. or simplified in some way. Similar pressures not to be too innovative or daring can apply to the in­ company training department. T he task may seem unrealistic but the authenticity lies not only in the materials themselves. there can be conflicting interests. which may commission materials from inhouse trainers or outside authors. and may also want a coursebook which is not too technically demanding in terms of the business world (or has a comprehensive glossary explaining the terminology). which target a specific need and cost relatively little to make. preferring to publish books that do not take too many risks with novel teaching approaches. A related question is how we as teachers react to learners doing an authentic task. and this may lead to frustration or dissatisfaction with off-the-shelf materials. if they are required to answer a letter as part of a course activity. extra activities. and that it is better to use artificial’ text which is packed full of useful lexis. but also in what the teacher expects learners to do with those materials. has been for course providers to produce focused. Teachers. Some publishers produce books that encourage the individual learner to customize and make the material their own.
Authenticity
A key issue when considering the choice of coursebook (or indeed any materials) is authenticity. They are obviously keen to satisfy the needs of learners and teachers as much as possible. There is also the issue of the authenticity of activities (i. Does the language in the coursebook come from the real world.e. So. depending on who is paying for the course. many teachers feel it is still worth reading articles in class. spoken or written. but a book intended for a fairly wide clientele cannot always satisfy relatively specific needs. They will want a coursebook that fits in with their own understanding of how people learn languages. flexibility. because this is effective and efficient. how closely related they are to the learner’s professional world). or do they treat it in a different way? For example. Publishers have also marketed packages of various core materials. hence inevitable compromise. have different priorities. these might include things like the amount of guidance offered. ease of use. T he more innovative and confident teachers can feel that some publishers are too conservative in their approach. D o the learners see the content o f an activity as authentic.

CD or DVD player)? Can the coursebook be delivered on time? Can the coursebook be used by the learners once the course is over (e. W hat are th e ir main communication. or fo r doing business? Are the lengths and com plexity o f the texts suitable? Look at the activities in a typical unit. and pronunciation.g. In some teaching contexts. do they expect teachers to confine their concern to vocabulary. the teacher m ight be able to sit down with the learners on the first day of a course and go through various possible books. or reference book)?
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. How is the course organized? W hat comm unication skills and language areas are covered? Are the units similar in layout? Is there any fle x ib ility in the way units can be used? Is there a storyline? Can the learners personalize the contents in any way? W hat about topics? Are they relevant? Up-to-date? Interesting? Check the texts (spoken and w ritten ). w ha t does it say about the philosophy underlying the course? Does it concur w ith your own ideas o f how languages are learned? How is it organized? Look at the contents page o f the coursebook. or to act as cultural guides and business communication trainers?
Choosing a coursebook
There are basically two ways to choose a coursebook. or as a resource.g. correspondence etc).the language itself comes second. Is there enough variety and flexibility? Is there the rig h t balance? Are the teacher's guidelines clear? Are there any supplementary materials in the teacher's book? W ill the activities be useful to your learners? How realistic and relevant are the role-plays and simulations? Do the units have clear aims? Does the book f it in w ith your learners' cultural context in terms o f content and approach? If your learners are preparing fo r an exam. grammar. the main criteria for success should coincide with the business aims . T he second (more common) way is for the teacher (or institute) to make the decision for the learners. T he learners end up having a say in what is chosen. as self-study material. the following questions will help to clarify some of the issues:
Think about. Do they have an authentic feel? How has the language been selected? How relevant are the texts to the learners' business situation? Is the language presented useful fo r talking about business.4 • Selecting and developing materials
task to decide how well an authentic task was carried out? I f the activity involves a negotiation or a presentation. highlighting the good and bad points of each. W hat types are included? Listen to and/or watch some o f the recordings. for example. w ha t was w ritte n about it? W hat about cost? W ill your learners/institute be prepared to pay fo r the w hole package? Do the materials require special equipment (e. Does it look rig h t fo r the group? First impressions can count fo r a lot. articles. In both cases. But what do our learners really want from us. Does the publisher and author have a good reputation? If the book has been reviewed. the group o f learners. Have a look at the cover o f the coursebook and w ha t the overall package includes (do you have everything available to look at?). pedagogic. and th in k about how you w ould use them in class. does the book o ffe r the rig h t guidance and practice? Find o u t w ha t other classes or teachers th in k about it. and read some o f the texts (dialogues. resulting in a firmer commitment to make the course a success. Look at the teacher's book. and business needs (see Chapter 2)? Make a list o f key words (which w ill help to ensure th a t needs are kept to the fo re during the decision-making process). and (we hope) with materials that suit their needs.

.. T he following extracts from a business simulation activity provide an example of this (the core text of the email is adapted to suit three different learning contexts see page 47). showing how vocabulary has been altered for learners in two different contexts.
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. Comments . Doing an objective evaluation and gathering feedback may help the decision-making process the next time a course is run. giving page or exercise numbers where relevant) W hat d id n 't you like? (again. even though the basic task can remain the same. A t the other end of the scale is the individual teacher. what adaptations were made etc) can be written after each unit in the teacher’s book. It need not be complicated. T he attached documents then contain details about various infrastructure points in the three sites.. for use on their own or to supplement a coursebook. Possible improvements .. with minor changes. they can be made to look tailor-made. Again. but can also include adapting material that the teacher has already produced for a previous course to look as if it has been custom-made. Reflective notes (what worked well or not so well. armed with a computer and a printer.
Adapting materials
M any teachers build up a huge collection of materials as they become more experienced. designed to meet specific needs. Such tailored materials can be lavishly produced by a training departm ent or institute which commissions materials for specific projects or clients. Sometimes the tailored materials are no more than a simple worksheet which has been adapted to include specific vocabulary. and these can be easily adapted to suit a particular client or group of learners.. something like this will suffice:
For the learner (at the end o f a course): W hat did you like about the coursebook? (please be specific.H ow to Teach Business English
So far we have considered how to choose a coursebook before the course starts. This ‘tailoring’ is not only at the relatively cosmetic level of including a logo or company name and course date on the top of the page. up-to-date. they know if a book is working or what its strengths and weaknesses are. M ost teachers do this intuitively.
Tailor-made materials
Sometimes learning institutions or teachers find it necessary to produce tailor-made materials. bespoke materials. It is also worthwhile thinking about these issues while the book is being used. T he example on page 48 is taken from a worksheet written to enable learners to entertain and inform visitors. This evaluation should take into account both the teacher’s and learners’ perspectives. able to produce nice-looking. be specific and give page or exercise numbers) How w ill you use the coursebook now th a t the course is over?
For the teacher (at the end o f each u nit or session): Activities done ..

4 • Selecting and developing materials

From: Your boss To: You Subject: Project KD27

Context 1 - this is an in-company course for a group of engineers in a multinational electrical engineering company based in France. They all work in the production department. A KD router (a piece of electrical equipment) is a best-selling product in this company.

You have been selected to join a London-based project team for two months, working on production aspects of a new version of the KD router. You will need to be in London from Monday to Friday, but you will be able to fly home for the weekends. The team, made up of managers from various production departments, is currently being put together and will start work as soon as possible. The immediate task is to recommend a site for a new assembly plant. I have attached copies of the documents you will need to get started. Please get back to me if there are any problems. Best regards. Boss

EL

From: Your boss To: You Subject: European Project

Context 2 - a mixed-level group in a language school

You have been selected to join a government-sponsored project team for two months, working on a new European ministry building. The team, made up of experts from a number of different companies, is currently being put together and will start work as soon as possible. The immediate task is to recommend a site for the building. I have attached copies of the documents you will need to get started. Please get back to me if there are any problems. Best regards. Boss From: Your boss To: You Subject: London for two months

Context 3 - a group of property consultants based in Rome

You have been selected to join a London-based project team for two months. You will need to be in London from Monday to Friday, but you will be able to fly home for the weekends. The team is currently being put together and will start work as soon as possible. The immediate task is to recommend a site for a new factory which will assemble components for an electrical engineering company. I have attached copies of the documents you will need to get started. Please get back to me if there are any problems. Best regards. Boss

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H ow to Teach Business English

For a group of factory staff: Hi. My nam e is ... , and I’m the ... here at ... . First, I’d like to tell you a little about our organization, and then I’ll take you around the plant and we can look at the various facilities we have. OK, here on this organization chart you can see the top layer of m anagem ent at this plant. Mr ... is the factory head. J u s t under him are five departm ents: Logistics, HR, Production, th a t’s where I work, and ... For a group in an accountancy company:
Hi. My name is ... , and I'm the ... here at ... . First, I'd like to te ll you a little about our organization, and then I'll take you around the offices and we can look at the various departments we have. OK, here on this organization chart you can see the to p layer o f m anagem ent at this branch. M r ... is the senior partner. Just under him are five departments: Investments, Audits, Tax, that's where I w ork, and ...

Generating tailor-made materials

T he advantage to teachers of making their own materials is that these can be much more specific, and look right for the part they have to play. Obvious disadvantages are that they can be very time-consuming to prepare, and need skills and experience in materials writing, word-processing, graphic design, and the like. A nd sometimes the creative results of all this investment are so context-specific that they can only be used once. Nevertheless, elements of a piece of specially generated material may be re­ usable in another context, and the teacher may have developed valuable new skills in the course of preparing the specialist material. Tailor-made materials will continue to play a major role in the business English teacher’s toolbox. H ow does one write tailor-made materials? Preparatory stages include assessment of the learners’ needs, deciding on priorities, identifying and analysing language items, working out pedagogical approaches, deciding what sorts o f activities to use, making decisions about layout etc, and evaluating or piloting early or draft versions. In practice, teachers do not create something completely new (there is no need to), but adapt ideas and resources to suit particular situations. Adaptation of existing materials takes advantage of work that someone has already done (including selection of general language items, writing base text, structuring and formatting a document, testing activities with groups of learners). Generating new tailored material usually takes more time and effort, not only because it must be designed, but also because the components of the new material need collecting and assembling. Fortunately, teachers and materials developers have many resources available to them, including information and ideas on the Internet and in the business media or in the public documents of companies, as well as what the learners themselves can bring.
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4 • Selecting and developing materials

Corpora (collections of real language data) can be a particularly useful resource. It is now relatively easy either to compile one’s own corpus of language, or to gain access to huge, computerized language databases. These give trainers the ability to access real language, both spoken and written. A concordance is a list of phrases, each showing the same word or language feature taken from a corpus, which allows users to focus on a particular lexical, or grammatical, or discourse issue (concordances are generated electronically, so they may be accessed via the Internet). A typical concordance program can allow the user to isolate a particular language feature and analyse it in detail. Teachers may do this themselves, or may ask learners to produce their own concordances. Here is an example of a concordance of uses of market taken from the BN C (British National Corpus). Here the user simply typed market into the query form. T he first screenshot shows market used as a noun, while the second shows market in its infinitive form. Typically, teachers extract a few
. f # i » T » 3»* S.*>» -!»:**■ 1S B 3

and the like). W e know that interaction helps the learning process anyway. In effect. and so on. we collaborate with the learner to generate the language used. A very productive approach is to use the learners themselves as a resource. W e can ask learners to role-play real situations from their workplace (meetings.
The learner as a resource
As we have seen. These can be recorded and reformulated until everyone is satisfied that the language being produced is appropriate. Learners write down key language points which can then be used as reference notes. followed by role-plays where the teacher and/or learners take on specific roles.H ow to Teach Business English
items from such concordance lists. a brochure etc) into class. or we may run the risk of losing students or clients! W e can pick up on particular utterances to focus on. reports.who can tell you more about the job and its requirements than the people doing it? But this kind of advantage is not limited to experienced learners. But the chat needs to be purposeful and focused. In business English teaching this can be problematic because our credibility as teachers is partly dependent on how relevant we can make our lessons. W ith job-experienced learners the advantages o f this are immediately obvious . and why they are doing what they are doing. there are times when we cannot find pre-packaged materials that have been designed for our particular teaching context. the business English learner wants to know where their studies are going to take them. checking such corpora will give a better idea of how often that word or phrase actually appears in real language. create gap-fills for their colleagues. This is partly why tailormade materials are worth serious consideration. telephone calls.
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. for example. and then use them in class. but if we are not sure. T he basic procedure is to discuss the background. One way of getting useful content is to chat to the learners. because the learner then has a personal stake in the lesson. or we can use questions to develop the content. There are other ways in which the learner can be utilized as a resource. email. T he aim of using the learner as a resource is to get content from the learner. and hopefully internalizing much of what they learn. Sometimes teachers wonder if a word or phrase is worth spending time and effort on. T he learners can investigate the language themselves. then there is little doubt. Corpora allow us to move away from intuition to objectivity in our efforts to develop appropriate and useful materials. they could ask learners to write down things they notice about the way the words are used. write similar ones themselves. and to interact with the learner as both a source and a user of authentic materials. complete the sentences. If it is specialist vocabulary used frequently in company business. becoming more aware of how things work. Such fairly open-ended activities are often more effective as learning tools than heavily controlled exercises which focus on testing accuracy. But there are other approaches we can take. Often the business English learner will bring material (letters. or as a basis for future lessons. for example. This should be encouraged. Two main approaches are to use frameworks. the teacher remains the language expert.

focus on meaning rather than on form. Learners describe the similarities and differences. They do this by creating a situation where the learner is pushed towards using specific language in order to complete the task set. A t the end o f each arrow is the name (or . W ith some learners it is possible to run a complete course using just framework materials o f this type. Ask learners to write down the outline/key words o f a presentation and then give the presentation. Ask learners to devise and explain a flow chart that shows industrial production processes (in their industry). generate relevant language. and getting. and take you through their plans. 1& Ask learners to draw a time plan of a project they were involved with. authentic materials are texts which have not been produced specifically for classroom use. There are many advantages to using such materials: they are easy to produce. or
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.a drawing) of a person (customer) they have spoken to in the last day (week). Ask learners to explain the procedures of applying for. or a list of key words which can be used as a prompt.for a more lively discussion . Ask learners to draw. Ask learners to draw a map showing the layout (functional or physical) of the department or company. designed to help teachers and learners generate and focus the language produced in the classroom. advantages and disadvantages of each product. then the teacher (or other learners) can help by making suggestions. and do not depend on the level of the learner. Some can be produced before the lesson. others are created in conjunction with the learners. They use this diagram as a prom pt to discuss work issues. I f a learner finds this difficult. Here are some examples: IR Ask the learners to bring in their diary (or calendar) for next week. labelled ‘Product A and ‘Product B’ (where A and B are real products offered in the learners’ company. or products with which they are familiar).4 • Selecting and developing materials
Framework materials
Frameworks are explicitly structured contexts. O ften the material that embodies the framework will consist of a diagram or very simple outline. a job at their company. Draw two boxes. In the context of business English.
Authentic materials
W ithin the world of English teaching. Ask learners to draw a quick picture of themselves (or write their name) in a circle in the middle of a large sheet of paper. or reformulating what has already been said. and talk through a pie chart showing how much time they spend doing various activities during a typical day. with radial arrows coming off the circle. they are normally real commercial documents. and explain what each part of it does. label. and talk you through the project.

ideally. or recordings of meetings and conversations made in a workplace. Their advantage is that they bring us closer to the world of business. Firstly. and even coursebooks and materials designed for pre-experienced groups often use authentic materials in their content. Using such materials is a fundamental part of teaching people who are working in companies. A nother potential difficulty is that the learners are normally busy people. and more importantly. although some companies are prepared to invest a significant degree of trust in their trainers and make them privy to sensitive information. and that aim is paramount. the learners can relate to them and see the point of the training. Here are examples of authentic items which can be used in the classroom: • • • • • • • • • • • • • Letters M inutes Memos Emails Contracts Reports Company advertising brochures Presentations (PowerPoint™ slideshows. these materials would always be in English. and its employees have never had to do anything in English before.H ow to Teach Business English
newspaper articles. authentic materials can be commercially or legally sensitive. and may alienate learners). or because they are only relevant to a few people in the class (ploughing through an irrelevant document can be extremely tedious. In some contexts suitable materials simply don’t exist. Another advantage is that they help the teacher understand more about the learners and their needs. There are disadvantages and difficulties too. Sometimes learners may lack the confidence to bring in their own work and show it to other learners. overhead acetates) Voicemail messages Audio and video recordings of real interactions T V adverts Company sales videos Internet and intranet websites
Although. either because they may not be at an appropriate level. and it takes time to trawl through files and computer drives looking for materials. or they may only contain one or two ‘usable’ items. Even though authentic materials have distinct advantages. for the English teacher. Confidentiality can be cited as a reason for failing to bring documents into class. Even if the teacher can get hold of genuine documents. or perhaps the in-house course is for a company that has only just moved into an international marketplace. sometimes people on a language course arrive with documents that they need help with
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. or to make an audio recording. We can arrive to teach a lesson expecting our learners to have brought materials in (as they promised in the last lesson) and then be disappointed when none are offered. perhaps the class is of M BA students who have not yet worked in an international company. the chances are they will need adapting. the aim is to teach people how to communicate in English.

W ith a presentation. with a letter. I f the authentic material includes notes or slides for a presentation. Select sections of a report for learners to read and present orally. W e should not discourage learners from bringing us documents that are not in English. and so on. Use pictures and diagrams to prom pt discussion. Ask students to predict content by just giving them section headings. Here are some examples of possible activities that can be done with authentic materials (either adapted or in their original form): • • • • • • • • • • Reading (skim. we m ight be able to do it as a team effort with the learner(s). W e can also learn more about a company and about various aspects o f business in this way (learners in other groups may be impressed when we display our newly acquired knowledge of business processes or products!). T he value of translation as a learning exercise has been questioned by some teachers.4 • Selecting and developing materials
translating into English. G et learners to select ten useful phrases or words from the document. Use customs or shipping documents to get learners to explain the process of moving goods from suppliers to customers. ask learners to compose a reply. ask learners to deliver that presentation. graphs. providing a guide for English-speaking visitors. and to adapt them for other classes if this is appropriate and acceptable to the original producer(s) of the document. although such
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. and the process of translation can bring a lot o f useful language into play as the learners are forced to explain words to us. or layout of slides. In the case of correspondence. but more importantly. not only are poor quality photocopies frustrating. Authentic spoken material may also be very useful. even if we can’t translate them fully ourselves. putting instruction manuals or promotional brochures into English. record phone conversations. or discuss content. but in certain cases it closely resembles what our learners have to do in their real jobs (for example. Create gap-fill exercise (remove words and replace with gaps). having materials in electronic form allows teachers to adapt and reproduce them more easily for classroom use. scan. Sometimes teachers are allowed to attend and record meetings. discussing the rationale behind the design. the teacher (and other learners) could watch it and then role-play contributing questions from the audience. and discuss their choice with other learners. For example. summarize. Discuss possible improvements in the material. answer comprehension questions). Redesign logos or letterheads. although it can prove difficult to obtain in practice. the teacher could play the part of customer who has received it and has some questions to ask.
• • • •
T he ideal activity is probably to interact with the authentic material in the same way that the learners might have to in real life. It is convenient if authentic documents can be provided in electronic form. tables etc. G et learners to explain figures. calculations. Ask learners to explain and clarify the issues in the document. and so on) and so should be seen as a focus for worthwhile classroom activity. Scramble the text and ask learners to rearrange it into the correct order.

One way might be to get our learners to focus on and notice particular aspects of the text. Typically. Otherwise. T he language to be used in the role-play may also have been pre-taught in some way. grammatical points. and case studies
Effective business English materials need to allow learners to produce the language they will need in their workplace. there are various ways to exploit it. If we do have authentic spoken material. Such materials are good for pre-experienced learners because most of the information they need is given.the role-play is interrupted by learners having to look at their cards to remind themselves o f what they are supposed to say. One disadvantage is that unless there is enough time given to preparation . as well as the learners). Two examples are shown on page 55. they do not play themselves. and then fill in the following table.
R ole-play
A role-play is an activity where the learner takes on a role. Yet because
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. T he second example is from Head fo r Business Upper-intermediate Student’ s Book by Naunton. or compare their understanding to a transcription we have prepared earlier. or particular com m unication issues. Normally the learner’s behaviour or even opinions are limited to the options given on the instructions card. we can perhaps record colleagues carrying out role-plays of tasks similar to those faced by our learners.none o f the participants know all of the relevant information. We may ask the learners to transcribe w hat they hear. A typical activity would be to ask learners to watch three recent news reports. this can then be used as a basis for discussion. or even non-verbal aspects o f communication. and/or case studies. even if the role-play itself might not really reflect real life (how many learners will ever need to speak to debt counsellors in English?). such as business news reports or company promotional or training videos.H ow to Teach Business English
opportunities are more likely to be made available to an in-house trainer. memorizing the details on the card .
Report 1 w ho w ha t where Report 2 Report 3
Role-plays. useful phrases. Another typical feature of role-play exercises is the information gap . or we can make recordings of telephone calls we have with our learners. simulations. Audiovisual materials. such activities involve role-play. This role-play provides an excellent opportunity to practise language and concepts already introduced in earlier activities. simulations. and these activities need to be designed into the course. They may well have no personal experience of the featured situation to bring to the role-play. can provide excellent opportunities to focus on the specific language used to discuss products (useful for the language teacher. These m ight be vocabulary. T he first is from Market Leader Pre-Intermediate by Cotton et al.in this case.

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.). ask fo r a breathing space or reduce the amount to be paid each month. • You are staying at a small hotel outside the city (a bad choice: room to o small. suggest approaching the finance company which set up the loan. • You belong to a private gym which costs £50 a month. has come to see you fo r some advice about best to deal w ith his/her debts and financial problems. or utilities bills (phone. You have fallen behind w ith the payments and have received threatening letters from the finance company which set up the loan. • You are staying at the Grand Hotel in the city centre (a good choice: room service and the facilities are excellent). e. • A year ago. Introduce yourself and make small talk. you arrived late last night.g. • It's your first day at the conference. the speakers ta lk to o much and go over tim e. excellent restaurants. You are paying 2% interest per m onth on these.000. • You have outstanding credit card bills o f £2. Participant A • You m et B tw o years ago at a conference on Customer Care in Frankfurt. Student A. • The company you w ork fo r has recently reduced the am ount o f overtim e available.g. e. Use yo ur role-card to prepare fo r the conversation. etc.
Student A You have decided to see a debt counselor because you are w orried about your financial situation. but very expensive). Explain your situation using the notes below.4 • Selecting and developing materials
You are a t a conference. You pay 11% interest per m onth. • You have been at the conference fo r three days. A client. and new fu rn itu re fo r your fla t. How to reduce the cost o f any borrow ing. • You own a small firm which sells office equipm ent. • You haven't seen the city yet. • You are leaving tom orrow . • You are the sales manager fo r a large telecomm unications company. You depended on this to make ends meet as it added 25% to your salary. • The conference is boring. • You th in k the conference w ill be very interesting. You go to w ork on public transport. or destroying credit or charge cards. • You like to look well-dressed at w ork and have a charge card fo r a large departm ent store. to o far from the centre o f the city). interesting museum. You recognize someone you m et a t a conference tw o years ago. electricity. Student B You are a debt counselor. you bought a TV. Participant B • You met A tw o years ago at a conference on Customer Care in Frankfurt. • You are leaving in three days' tim e. Find out the details and give advice about: • • How to cut m onthly costs immediately. washing machine. and listen to Student B's advice. all on hire purchase over three years. by getting a bank loan to pay o ff credit cards (bank loans have a low er interest rate than credit cards). • You have a car which you use at weekends. • You have visited the city (beautiful old cathedral. • You don't know w hether you should pay your rent.

discuss and justify their opinions. T he meetings were in English because many real work meetings normally were in English (the department did a lot of business with partners from overseas). meetings were simulated using agendas that were very similar to those used in real life.
Simulations
A simulation is quite different from a role-play. The difference was that they were in a safe environment. So. so that the learners become fully involved in the activity. for a simulation. Indeed. then clearly one of the learners will be playing a selling role. it refers to an activity where the learner is playing him or herself. just as they had to do in real working life. so that when the learner meets a similar situation in real life he or she can think. For example. A presentation rehearsal is an example of a simulation. Note that this simulation was not quite the same as holding actual department meetings in English (which is sometimes done in some companies as a language practice opportunity). at least in a monolingual group). Learners received feedback on their language at the end of the simulated meeting. in a buyer-seller negotiation. T he aim is to create suspension o f disbelief. T he key here was that the non-linguistic know-how came from the boss. ‘I ’ve already been here and done this’. and are not distracted by the fact that it is taking place in a classroom. and (ideally) simulates what he or she m ight do in real life. A n example of this occurred in a department team in an IT communications company.indeed. it can be a very useful part of the learning process to see the other side’s perspective. discussing their own personal problems would be inappropriate. The learners had to present information. if the two learners involved both come from a purchasing department (which normally only buys items).
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. the teacher was merely the manager of the simulation and a commentator on the language used. T he aim is to create a particular kind of situation in the safety of the classroom. and perhaps not as concerned about making mistakes as they would be when working with colleagues who were able to use English with the competence of a native speaker. Note how Student B’s role-card actually suggests solutions to the problems. W here more than one learner is involved. and come to an agreement. This is not to say that this is bad . Simulations are particularly useful for in-company groups where people have real jobs to focus on.H ow to Teach Business English
the issues involved are sensitive. it makes sense for learners to practise such language using a role-play. there must be a realistic reason for doing the activity in English (learners would otherwise normally be speaking to each other in their own language. it is often difficult to create simulations which act as simulations for all participants (some of the learners will be doing roleplays) mainly because some of them might be taking on roles which are not their own in real life. T he head of departm ent wanted to simulate real meetings so that team members could practise their English in a safe environment. one sign o f a successful simulation is where the participants carry on discussing the issues outside the classroom. and had been drawn up by the boss. Note that.

• Consider using observers to assist with the feedback. T he main point is that it simulates the type of discourse the learner would have in real life. One other point about in-company simulations is that most groups will be more than willing to give the teacher feedback. in the same way that this m ight be done with a new boss. or perhaps by persuading the visitor to buy the product. they are having to communicate with a stranger who knows their subject. or a customer.
Case studies
Using a case study enables learners to look at a particular business problem from various perspectives. but the benefit to the learners is enormous. and interest? • Can all participants contribute? • C an the participants be creative or use their knowledge and experience? • Is there more than one solution (if the simulation is about a problem)? • O n the day: • M ake sure that everyone fully understands the situation. and its aims and objectives. and they may or may not be asked to produce a solution. In effect. T he problem may have nothing to do with their own line of business. • M ake sure they understand the rationale behind the activity. Here is a checklist for preparing a simulation: • Before the day when the simulation will be carried out: • W h at is the aim of the activity? Are the activities carried out for a business communication purpose or for a language learning purpose? Is the simulation relevant to your learners’ needs? • Is there a logical sequence to the planned activities? • Are the activities realistic? Could they really take place? Have you checked details with anyone with a relevant business background? • Is there enough variety. check by asking questions. or partner. O r the visitor m ight play a customer or partner who wishes to discuss clauses proposed for a consortium contract. Case studies are suitable for all types o f business English learner (except perhaps for those still at a low level of English language
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. if necessary. as well as language-related points. • M ake sure the feedback includes the business task. challenge. leading to possible improvements. T he preparation time is relatively minor on the visitor’s part (and on the material writer’s). they m ight role-play a visiting customer. A simulation m ight involve a learner simply discussing work-related issues with the teacher. • Give people enough time to prepare (sometimes this preparation time might be significantly longer that the actual simulation). the last stage of the simulation is that the learners redesign it with the teacher. for example.4 • Selecting and developing materials
Another approach involves using good speakers of English to come in and take part. but is not a teacher. with learners simulating their real jobs by having to pass on information.

Below is an extract taken from the teacher’s notes for a case study written for a group of project managers from an international corporation.4 • Selecting and developing materials
Some case studies can be much more complicated.
Video record the discussions if possible. Note that such an outline (sometimes called a ‘route map’) is a particularly useful tool to help the teacher manage the overall situation. telephone calls) to prepare their presentation. Optional activity SS all take m inutes of the meeting. tran sp o rt possibilities. (There is a follow-up meeting to clarify points. if necessary). no contact should be made with the local authorities).
3
(30 mins)
Meeting
4
(10 mins)
Reading
5
Research / (180 mins) Planning presentation
SS receive a follow-up email from their boss. and circulate these to each other. for example. T he course was run in a hotel. Video record these. but should clarify th at the requests are being made for training purposes. They divide into team s to focus on specific details. In particular he is interested in knowing more about the logistics.SS are allowed to make contact with local authorities in order to obtain up-to-date information. local business infrastructure. the Internet. SS are given background information on specific areas and prepare to present information to the group. local workforce etc. to skip some stages. if possible.
Remarks
2
(10 mins)
Reading
Variation . SS give their presentations. often there is a need for the teacher to be flexible. requesting specific information on the following: geographical location. Likewise the times given for each activity are only a guideline.e.
Stage 1
(30 mins)
Activity Type
Reading
Description
SS read one or more newspaper texts about recent tax incentives designed to encourage the building of factories in specific locations. SS discuss w hat information they will need to gather. and the last two days were devoted to the activity.
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. so he instructs th at information gathering should be passive (i. Optional (to be used if Stage 3 does not bring forth suitable options)
6
(90 mins)
Presentation
Variation . SS receive an email from their boss asking for a report on the advantages and disadvantages of each location. or to provide additional information as the case study progresses. different groups will progress through the study in their own way.SS are encouraged to use their own resources (e.g. At this stage he does not w ant anyone to know the company is interested.

In Chapter 5 we examine speaking skills. SS and teacher discuss the tasks from (a) a business perspective. Optional Optional (Video record the presentation. as necessary. SS receive an email from the boss requesting an oral briefing. In the next tw o chapters we look at ways to teach business communication skills. • looked at a possible procedure fo r choosing a coursebook. and how they may be adapted to suit learning contexts. and looked at examples. and case studies. • outlined the use o f fram ew ork materials. SS draft sections of the report. SS decide on any final amendm ents for the report.
Looking ahead
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. and to decide on fu rth er tasks. • discussed authentic materials.) Selection of extracts from video recordings. and circulate these for discussion / comments. • examined role-plays. if possible. simulations. SS prepare and give a presentation to the boss.
Remarks
Video record the meeting. • looked at using the learner as a resource. if possible. and (b) a language learning perspective.H ow to Teach Business English
Stage 7
(60 mins)
Activity TyPe
Meeting
Description
There is a follow-up decision m eeting to plan a report for the boss.
11
(60 mins)
18
(60 mins)
Conclusions
In this chapter we have: • discussed advantages and disadvantages o f using ready-made materials. if possible. and in Chapter 6 we consider the w ritin g skills used in business English. • looked at some practical issues w ith using tailor-m ade materials.
8
(ISO mins)
Report writing
9
(30 mins)
Meeting Reading Presentation Feedback
10
(10 mins)
Video record these discussions.

A nother part of socializing involves being able to keep a conversation going. France. Related to this is storytelling. Similarly. and to encourage other participants in a conversation to speak. and this often happens in a social environment. and the businessman who does not understand that alcohol plays a very different part in business socializing in Saudi Arabia. the language must fit the context. or standing chatting at trade fair stands. no matter what language is being used. and it may be im portant to find out as much as possible about their conversation partners. As always. T he skill is to do this unobtrusively. as well as pleasure. and business English learners need to be taught the necessary language and social conventions. For example. So what language might be taught here? M eeting and greeting people is certainly part of this skill. using real restaurant menus will allow learners to practise useful lexical items. M ost experienced business people would agree that first impressions are important when meeting someone. before and after meetings. or at least the ability to tell a good anecdote. so that fellow conversationalists are happy to pass on information. many business people need to know the language o f dining out. will not get very far (see Chapter 8 for more on intercultural awareness). T he businesswoman who misjudges when and where it is acceptable to make a joke. and is relevant because such a lot of business-related interaction is done in places like restaurants. O ur learners use social interactions for business. or what to say when visiting people’s homes. at a lower level of language competence. and good rapport is often considered essential to good business. and also to role-play typical
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. Excellent use of language will be insufficient unless accompanied by an awareness of cultural factors. and Japan. airports.Teaching business speaking skills
• • • • • • Socializing Socializing Small talk Speaking on the telephone Presentations Meetings Negotiating
We saw in Chapter 1 that business English learners often need to have certain skills in order to do their job properly. Socializing is one such skill. Socializing may be vital in establishing rapport with a business partner.
Using role-plays and simulation
Simple participative activities can easily be designed which enable learners to practise skills used for socializing in a safe environment.

. the teacher can give everyone roles.... similar to those shown below:
You are on a business trip to a foreign country... and some careful research.. It’s a great chance to meet some of the local people and find out more about the business scene ... the teacher’s and learner’s experience.. Each person then plays themselves and their own companies.. for example? W hen is it safe to discuss politics? A t what point can an overtly social conversation move on to discussing a business contract (if at all)? H ow does the learner get out of answering difficult questions? M any of these questions have no firm right or wrong answers. U
. Unfortunately I can’t go. A t higher levels..... ....
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"
'
' '
. I f the group consists of a group of learners from the same company.. You should also try to fin d o u t as much as possible about the business interests o f the other people in the room..H ow to Teach Business English
conversations about food and drink. the setting m ight be changed so that they are in the country they are currently in.:........ so I would like you to attend on my behalf. They also need to be given the opportunity to discuss what can and cannot be said in social situations.... You have been asked to attend a fu nctio n which is being held to celebrate the renovation o f part o f the embassy building.. Here is a useful activity which could be used at the start of a course. For example. and to develop techniques for managing conversations....
> \ . Since there are very likely to be im p orta nt local guests. including names and company details (a competitor’s details might be interesting to use!). but classroom discussion.. and their reasons for being in the country.... Could you send me a few notes about the people you meet? Thanks.. if the group consists of pre-experienced learners.. :...... and is probably best suited to a group of four or more learners (not beginners): T he embassy party . often help. In what context is it considered acceptable to talk about how much one earns.... In this situation you may like to make the activity more realistic by giving everyone an email from their boss.. I f the group consists of learners who come from different companies.and to make good contacts which may come in useful later.:....each learner receives a card with instructions to follow....
These instructions will have to be adjusted to suit the group.... learners will need to know what phrases are useful when they want to tell a story and recount a particular experience. as follows:
From: Your boss To: You Subject: Embassy function I have been invited to an embassy party (details following) which is being held to celebrate the renovation of part of the building. you are happy to attend... Circulate among the guests and socialize. they will need to be given information about their supposed job and company..:.

record it. but anyway. Learners read the text and then repeat the story. so we we all w en t o ff to the coffee room and had a very nice tim e d rinking coffee. or prompts to guide them through a story.
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. None o f us understood this. Erm. And o f course we then had something like a th irty m inute break. and the ta lk by the main by the main speaker w ho erm w en t over the the tim e erm and w hat happened was th a t the organizer. and I erm last year I th in k it was. erm picked up the microphone. which can be exploited in various ways (not only in listening practice). erm. this reminds me o f the tim e I was in erm Hong Kong. Below is an example of such a text. in fact we were were sitting there listening to erm a talk. and asks learners to put the parts in the right order (a scrambled text task). And so all these groups w en t to th e ir sessions at erm d iffe re n t times erm until lunchtim e.5 • Teaching business speaking skills
T he teacher’s role is to circulate and make notes of weak language. I spoke to him later. and underline words which they feel need to be emphasized. T he teacher divides the story up into three or four parts. fa ir enough. T he teacher turns the text into a gap-fill exercise by removing some words. he or she could play the ambassador!
Storytelling
Telling anecdotes in an engaging or amusing way is often a key part of effective socializing. and for the learners then to listen again. or by using pictures. Here are some possible approaches to using the text: Learners listen to the original recording and then repeat the story. but we all said. Learners identify phrases or expressions in the text which they m ight find useful when they tell a story themselves. Anyway. Perhaps one of the most useful resources in the classroom is the teacher. and erm we were all standing there. focusing on useful language. Storytelling can be practised by encouraging learners to tell anecdotes about their own personal experiences. O f course. and said to everybody th a t because the speaker had gone on a little b it to o long.
You know. really. the organizer stood up. We were at this conference. with suggestions for possible improvements. So it was all a b it o f a mess. a very nice man actually. They then read the story aloud to the class. for the teacher to tell a personal anecdote. there is nothing to stop the teacher taking part in the simulation. And o f course w ha t happened was th a t the people w ho hadn't been in th a t session erm were to ld th a t we were going to have a ten m inute erm postponem ent of all the sessions. w h a t happened was this. Learners mark on the text where they think pauses should be. he's the organizer. is just one way to provide natural language. except th a t instead o f saying ten minutes fo r some reason he said fo rty minutes. we w ould move the w hole programme erm forw ard. Good examples should also be recorded and referred to in the follow-up discussion.

It seems to have different functions. T he ensuing conversation should simulate the socializing that the learners have to do in their real jobs when the teacher is not present. more than one person.
Small talk
As linguist Deborah Tannen observes. or some other topic relevant to the learners. the teacher might ask someone if they had a good weekend while the class is waiting for all the participants to arrive. often with no prior warning. filling a silence. invite the guest to have lunch or dinner with the learners. we expect to hear a phrase like ‘OK. or retail outlets socializing with a client
Small talk requires the learner to engage in polite conversation with someone. and how it evolves depends on the reaction of the other person. was it?’. here is a simulation (very close to reality) which m ight easily take place on a residential course: W M eet the guest speaker . let’s get down to business’. as well as when socializing. when the coffee and biscuits are brought in while waiting to say goodbye when meeting someone unexpectedly in a corridor while waiting in someone’s office for someone else to arrive during a guided tour of a company’s offices. including relationship building. or factory. but we would not expect anyone to say ‘OK. For example. Here are some occasions when small talk m ight be expected: • • • • • • • • while waiting at the photocopier just before a meeting is to start during a meeting. we can m onitor the conversation and feed what we learn from the experience into our subsequent teaching. ‘Good game. Another im portant characteristic is that small talk evolves during an interaction. let’s get down to small talk’! Small talk usually involves talking about (often banal) subjects that have little to do with business. and during any business activity. easing the transition from one business topic to another. Lucidly for teachers. everyone. a company. ‘talk at work is not confined to talk about work’. it m ight be the senior person who decides whether or not to engage in small talk and what the topic should be. tim efilling. O r two learners might be chatting away in their own language about a particular football match.H ow to Teach Business English
Finally. and is shaped by. Sometimes it emphasizes an already existing relationship between people. and the teacher might interrupt with a comment like. for example. M aking small talk is a skill which can be called upon at any point during the day. when a senior person meets a more junior member of staff in the lift. In other words. and easing tension in a complex or difficult negotiation.having taught some of the skills and language of small talk and social chit-chat. small talk requires contributions from. small talk probably happens naturally in the classroom. invite a good English speaker to come and give a talk on a product. As the teacher. at least between the teacher and one or more learners. Afterwards. everyone. as in any conversation. M uch of non-work talk is what we m ight call small talk.
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.

After reading it.each pair of learners gets one card (see below) to share. T he teacher observes and gives feedback as appropriate. and should be prepared to interject with prompts or comments during the lesson in order to encourage learners to practise this key skill. Note that the learners should be standing up for the first three of these situations. Then you look at each other.
The view o u t o f the w ind ow
i
A film you have seen recently
j
The layout o f the room The w eather Recent news The food in the company canteen
A recent business trip
| A sports event The coffee you are drinking Your last holiday
S £ -
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. What do you say?
Small talk in small groups . Here are some activities. One o f you presses the b utton fo r assistance.
You are standing in the lift w ith one other person when it stops between tw o floors.5 • Teaching business speaking skills
which has the effect of starting a brief conversation in English about a football match.each learner gets a topic card and starts a conversation about that topic. What do you say? You are queuing to get into work. T he teacher asks the class to keep the conversation going for at least one minute. enjoying a cup o f coffee. they then find a new partner and another role-card. and notice th a t the security guard is checking identity cards more th orou g hly than usual. suitable for pre-intermediate learners upwards. they start a conversation. and the teacher will need to be prepared to organize activities which generate such talk. Teachers need to be aware that small talk happens in this way. However. and engage in another conversation. O ther learners join in as appropriate. w hen a colleague sits opposite you and catches your eye. before the class moves on to the ‘main’ business o f ‘learning English’. You catch the eye o f the person next to you. sometimes learners will specifically ask for help in this area. Once finished. What do you say?
You are sitting in the canteen. which can be adapted to suit a particular teaching context: Small talk in pairs . What do you say?
You are w a lkin g dow n th e corridor when you bump into an English-speaking business partner you know reasonably well from a recent project.

yet. the approach depends on the teacher’s style. a phone call should not be allowed to fail just because the other person’s telephone skills are poor. As always. or allows information to be passed on accurately. Useful phrases for this kind of conversation can be learned relatively easily A t lower levels. like all the skills in this chapter. Give learners lots of practice of listening to speech without visual cues. Could you confirm that in writing?). So a phone call must be managed in order to achieve the business aim. and then addressing those weaknesses. there is no body language to help the learner understand what the caller is trying to say. some teachers prefer to follow a set list of typical functions. such as getting through. it keeps the customer happy.H ow to Teach Business English
Speaking on the telephone
Answering the telephone can strike terror into the heart of any language learner. and which are useful in many contexts {I'll ju st p u t you through. for example. telephone training often falls into two main parts. I ’ m calling about . Record the role-plays. it is difficult to separate the language from the overall communication skill. A t lower levels. M ost of these activities require use of a tape recorder. and the context. get progressively more challenging. suitable for intermediate level upwards. and give the learners something to hold. O r the customer who calls to say they are going to be late. the later activities. It is also important to realize that some types of calls are actually quite easy to deal with. taking and leaving messages. so there is no time to prepare. O n page 67 are four sets of role-play cards which can be easily adapted for use in most classroom situations. Could you spell that?. W hatever activities are chosen.). the teacher should make sure that the learners experience repeated success .confidence is key to this skill. the call normally comes when the learner is in the middle of something else. and record the conversation for later review and discussion.. in business. T he first two of the following four activities are suitable for beginners or pre-intermediate students. These can be presented in quite different ways. A nd there are the survival strategies which allow the learner to control the conversation and deal with the situation {I didn't quite catch that. W hat makes a ‘good’ phone call? From a business point of view. or digital voice recorder. the key advantage of such role-play activities is that learners get the chance to repeat key lexis over and over again until it becomes second nature.. using role-plays to find out where weaknesses lie. Here are some training techniques for improving telephoning skills: Role-play phone calls: ensure there is no eye contact (e. Can I take a message?. O ther teachers m ight choose to follow a more task-based approach. Consider the secretary who simply has to put a call through to the boss. Phone the learners at their place of work.
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. Secondly. which allows them to concentrate on the caller’s concerns when they need to use the telephone in a real situation. Both interlocutors contribute to this process. could you say that again please?.g. a good phone call has a clear aim. Firstly. the learners’ needs. or succeeds in persuading the customer. or clarifying information. There are some standard lexical phrases which have to be learned. Some m ight choose to discuss telephone skills in the learners’ own language first because. for example. sitting backto-back).

and will now be arriving on flight CX 368.g.
Please leave the fo llo w in g message on the answering machine: Taneko needs the spare cable on site by April 3. Once this is done. the teacher may opt to read the messages aloud. B2. They then record their message without the other learners listening (so two rooms should be available. but not cards with the same letter). and have a chance to clarify words or phrases with the teacher. ETA 15:55. Please arrange for transport plus driver to be on standby from April 1 to carry out delivery. D on't fo rg e t to leave your own name and contact details to o !
Please leave the fo llo w in g message on the answering machine: The amended contract for the Jalewo-Kantoko project has arrived. with the learner taking notes. learners carry out another conversation with a new partner and a new card. Please ensure staff are aware of all relevant fire drills. As a variation.The review m ight include the teacher asking a pair to repeat one of the conversations.
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. Once all learners have recorded their messages. each learner will have worked from each card (the aim is for them to do each conversation as caller and receiver). but the first three pages are missing. C l. Finally. the class is invited to listen to all the recordings and note down the messages.the teacher gives each learner a number of cards (e.5 • Teaching business speaking skills
Leaving a message —each learner is given five minutes to read and memorize their card. instead of giving cards to learners to memorize. the original messages are displayed for learners to check. Learners then carry out the role-play indicated on one of their cards. T he learners read their cards. D on't fo rg e t to leave your own name and contact details to o !
Simple phone conversations . A t the end of each conversation they swap cards. before returning it to the teacher. D on't fo rg e t to leave your own name and contact details to o !
Please leave the fo llo w in g message on the answering machine: The newly installed fire alarms will be tested on Thursday September 5. Please organize pick-up. Please re-send asap. Eventually. between 10-11 am. pairing up with someone who has the card with the same letter. or a room and a corridor). D on't fo rg e t to leave your own name and contact details to o ! Please leave the fo llo w in g message on the answering machine: Mr Johnson has been delayed in Hong Kong. A l.

B2 .
Learner A Your boss has just received a d ra ft installation contract from XYZ Suppliers Co. For example.receiver You are alone in the office (all the others are in an office party). in Italy. If the director is not available. (Attached: copy o f contract)
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. 4.p. leave your name and telephone number.receiver You are alone in the office (all the others are in an English lesson). Answer it. and ask to speak to the director.A. take a message. The teacher records the conversation.
B1 . and a copy of the contract.
C2 .receiver You are in the office.
A2 . the role-play has been set up using an extract from authentic documents provided by the company (railway equipment manufacturers). when th e phone rings. Learner A calls Learner B. Your director is on holiday fo r the next tw o weeks. and the activity is followed by feedback. Once they have had a chance to familiarize themselves with the materials.H ow to Teach Business English
A1 . Each learner gets one card. The postman has just delivered a large.
C1 . Call ABC Inc..caller You w ork fo r Spirolli Servizi S. If the telephone rings. Answer the phone.
Jp| Clarifying the contract . securely w rapped parcel o f brochures from a company in London Answer the phone.8 ACCESS The Buyer shall provide adequate and safe access to its site to enable the Seller to fu lfill its obligations under this Contract. does this mean th a t your company is responsible fo r controlling city tra ffic flo w around the entrance to the site? Call XYZ and ask fo r clarification (examples from previous projects w ould be ideal). Call Sagin SA and ask to speak to someone from accounts.caller You w ork fo r JY Enterprises in London.
Learner B You are sitting at your desk looking th ro ug h the attached contract. There is a problem w ith a bill which has not been paid.in this example. and a message fo r her to call you back. It is a normal day. and is not sure about the w ord 'adequate' in the clause below. You sent some brochures to ABC GmbH in Berlin last week.caller You w ork fo r XYZ Ltd. You w an t to know about w orking to ge th er on a project in Paris. Ask if they arrived and w hether they are in good condition.

which incorporates elements of intercultural training. You placed the driver under arrest. O n occasion. (b) the location and status o f the driver. Tonight it is your tu rn . You have just finishing searching a lorry which is carrying a load o f sealed metal containers. You now realize th a t a thorough check w ill probably take a fe w days. T he presenter’s role here is different. It seems th a t an im p orta nt consignment has been delayed at a border post somewhere in the M iddle East. Learner A then calls Learner B. depending on how many vehicles come through the post. and are now looking th ro ug h the paperw ork to make sure th a t the lorry is carrying w h a t it is supposed to be carrying. and it appears th a t the driver may have been drinking. and asks you to p oint o u t to whoever you speak to th a t the consignment is urgent and must get th ro ug h to n ig h t. In this sense. Call the border post. and (c) when the consignment w ill be released. rather than on the language spoken. because most of the
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. informal meeting over a cup of coffee can include small. Giving a talk to an audience of 300 is also a presentation. there is still a huge range of situations in which presentations are given.
Presentations
Presentations are communication situations where one person is speaking. A small. informal presentations (one person standing at the flipchart. but in some presentations the focus is almost completely on the visual aids being used (technical presentations are typical of this). He asks you to call the border post and to find o u t (a) the reason fo r the delay. verbal skill might be essential. So fa r you have discovered th a t the export licence fo r the goods is o u t o f date. he or she could be said to be giving a presentation. But. The driver may have been arrested. You are to call him back w ith a progress report w ith in the hour. One o f your colleagues found a half b ottle o f whisky underneath the driver's seat. Here is an example. T he teacher records the conversation. T he review will include discussion of possible options. speaking. and th a t one container seems to be missing. It is now 2 am. Your boss has called to te ll you th a t he has just received a call from one o f your sub-suppliers.
Learner A You w ork in a sales departm ent o f a large m ultinational company w ith customers all over the w orld. and the activity is followed by feedback and discussion. even if we exclude this most general sense of the word. Because o f the international nature o f your business. while the others listen). The phone rings. He thinks th a t it is probably just a mistake in the paperwork. Answer it. nearly every time a person speaks. Delay at the border . while others listen.
Learner B You are a customs official at a border post somewhere in the M iddle East.5 • Teaching business speaking skills
A t a higher level of language competence it is possible to create quite complex role-plays. your departm ent is required to have someone staffing the phone 24 hours a day.each learner gets a card. and ten minutes to read about the situation.

and even body language. and how they relate to each other. can get away with a lot in terms of linguistic (in)competence.
M ost presenters would agree that the opening part of a presentation is particularly im portant because it sets the tone for what is to come.what component parts it is made up of.anything else is secondary O f course. Here is a list of what m ight be included at this stage of a presentation:
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. the first thing we need to do is to make sure we understand the context in which our learners have to give presentations. Advantages of this particular solution. so much the better. Teachers who concentrate on language alone are doing their learners a disservice if they are not pointing out other aspects. T he audience may be willing to forgive language problems. M ost audiences. good speakers with the right personal style. These may include delivery. or the content. use of visual aids. Presentation skills are particularly interesting to teach because once again the line between language and other skills is blurred. content. Here is a checklist of possible questions to ask: • • • • • • W ho is the audience? W h at might be their expectations? W h at experience does the learner have? W h at is the theme of the presentation? W h at does the presenter want the audience to get from the presentation? W h at facilities are available? W h at aids is the presenter planning to use?
Structure
Another point is the organization of the presentation . A solution.H ow to Teach Business English
content may actually be in the visual information. A description of the problem that needs solving. particularly non-native speakers. Others may be more complicated.
Context
As ever. But if the presenter is good. T he aim o f a presentation is to get through to the audience . appreciate a structure which is easy to follow. but who were so monotonous and boring that they would have lost the audience immediately. Likewise. not in what the presenter has to say. A statement about what the audience has to do next in order to be able to enjoy the solution. M any successful presentations consist simply of three parts: an introduction. a middle section (which usually contains the main substance). if the message. A sales presentation. is clear or valuable. in many situations the audience is primarily interested in the content (rather than the presenter). and a conclusion. which is good news for many of our learners. m ight be divided into the following stages: 1 2 3 4 5 Arousal o f interest. for example. M ost business English teachers have listened to learners giving perfect presentations (from a linguistic point of view). who can entertain and inform their audience.

let’ s start. So. Metaphors and anecdotes may help to make a presentation easier to understand. often called signposting.5 • Teaching business speaking skills
• • • • • • • • •
welcome introduction of speakers topic aim outline duration of the talk benefit to the audience dealing with questions joke (acceptable or even expected in certain cultures.. or the structure. and so on.. and to listen out for how these signposts are used to manage the presentation. so part of the business English teacher’s task is to help learners prepare their presentations. To conclude. A t higher levels. which is used in each o f the sections of a structure. many teachers spend a significant amount of time working on delivery techniques such as intonation. Teachers should note that many commercial materials available on the market also include recordings which allow the practice of such language. T he key is the voice.. or a particular point more memorable. One way to focus on such items is to get learners to listen to professional presenters. to help guide a listener through the presentation. or the wonderful slides.
Using the voice
T he key to any presentation is not the vocabulary. and inexpensive). rhetorical questions {What does this mean? Let me tell you . but only recommended if the learner is a good joke teller!)
It is hard to get far in business without having to give some kind of presentation. reliable. I t ’s not what the presenter says. such as tripling ( Our computers arefast. and chunking. . I ’ d ju st like to go back to .
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. absolutely.. it is how they say it. it is often possible to teach rhetorical language. that often determines the success of a presentation. use of lexis like really. extremely). emphasizing (e. stress. Right then .). Here is a framework which m ight be used:
Topic: Aim: Main points: 1
2
3 Main message (conclusion): Benefit to audience:
Language for presentations
There is certain language. Typical signposts are: So.g. A nd it is always useful to practise language and techniques for dealing with questions.

{but we’ re not sure i f it will happen that way) W e plan to D E L IV E R next month. or on specific syllables within the words. A nd it is certainly worthwhile encouraging rehearsals. (as opposed to start production) We plan to deliver NEXT month. so that a German speaker. using the O H P (overhead projector). (not this month. One way to explore this aspect is to ask learners to read short texts in strange ways . although it is not always relevant to a business context which might demand a more impromptu performance. An excellent way to bring this message across is to get learners to listen to a well-known politician or business leader giving a speech (if the teacher can provide a transcript. Learners need to understand how altering the stress patterns changes the meaning of the sentences:
WE plan to deliver next m onth. too loud.too fast. Learners could be asked to predict where the pauses (and stress. say. m ight sound monotonous to an English listener. One of the best ways to teach presentation skills is to get learners to give actual presentations. but quite lively to a Japanese. most professional presenters do this as a m atter of course. and not in two months’ time) W e plan to deliver next MONTH. body language and vocal techniques may also need to be covered. so much the better).H ow to Teach Business English
• Intonation is about how the voice rises and falls in pitch during speech. • Stress has to do with where speakers put the emphasis on particular words. They should be encouraged to experiment. and preparing a presentation can be covered in the training. Here the video camera can be one of the teacher’s best tools. (not next week. too slow. then they should be given enough time. if they normally use laptops or visualizers. Training in this involves teaching learners how to identify such ‘chunks’ and insert pauses at the appropriate places.
(as compared to the incompetents in the department next door) W e PLAN to deliver next month. although it is im portant to know how to deal with the technology
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. nor next year)
• Chunking is how words are characteristically grouped together in spoken utterances (see page 9). I f they are asked to prepare a presentation in class. Learners should have access to the same tools as in real life. then the teacher should make sure they have them when they are practising. and then to compare their predictions to the real version. T he idea is to make them more aware of their own voices.
Preparing for presentations
Techniques such as using PowerPoint™. and rises and falls in intonation) will be. referring to prom pt cards. It is related to culture.

. a meeting is used to lay down the basis for consultation and discussion. private conversations. . interruptions). meetings will follow a carefully organized plan. For example. pointer. OH P. can I interrupt please ?. and someone responsible for taking the minutes. pauses. phone calls. Ideally. flipchart) Rapport (eye contact. In some cultures.
Meetings
In business.. mannerisms. instead of b u t. such phrases are possible. body language. if the learners use PowerPoint™. Here is an example: • • • • A ids (materials. pronunciation. while in others the way they develop will depend on the issues raised or the people involved. and there are informal meetings over a cup of tea. or pointing the camera at a learner who is standing in front o f a window.g.5 • Teaching business speaking skills
before the class starts. the teacher should become familiar w ith w hat it can do. which will in turn not be the same as internal departmental meetings. but they are not necessarily the most common. with a chairperson. Research has shown that key language items in such cases
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.. It is easy to make silly mistakes like forgetting to switch on the microphone. In some countries. such as Has everyone got a copy o f the minutes?. resulting in a black picture. and they can use this experience to inform the way they work with students who are preparing for presentations of their own. So the language o f meetings can be equally varied. intonation) Language (accuracy. O f course. while it is suggested that people should give opinions by saying In my opinion. or M oving on to item. This can be frustrating and embarrassing. Such a strategy will probably result in teachers learning more about giving presentations than any book will teach them. particularly among native speakers. Unfortunately. simplicity)
For business English teachers to increase their professionalism and credibility in this key business skill. there are certain lexical items which are quite common. A nother technique to use is to get the other learners to go through a checklist of points as they listen to a presentation. Meetings with customers will not be the same as meetings with partners. T he very notion of a meeting can mean something different in different cultures. a valuable strategy is to give some formal presentations themselves (this will feel quite different from teaching a class or running a workshop). instead of I think . volume.. stress. for example. people have meetings all the time. meetings are used primarily to present the boss’s opinion or transmit corporate directives. .. Sometimes people will focus entirely on the business of the meeting. A teacher could try giving a presentation to peers at a conference. vocabulary. Coursebook language for interrupting may include rather laboured phrases like Excuse me. laptop. but once again it is important to realize that there are many different types. such presentations would include using the technology which that particular teacher’s learners are expected to use. humour) Delivery (clarity.. In others. There are large formal meetings. In formal meetings. appropriacy. whereas at other times the meeting may be one of several things happening at that time (e. three on the agenda . many business English coursebooks have presented language that can seem stilted or unnatural..

g. That isn’ t exactly what I meant. or arguing. who is responsible? Here is an example of materials which might be used to set up a simulation. O ther common functions include clarifying (So what you’ re saying is . it might make more sense to design the meeting simulations around the types of meetings the managers actually participate in (in an ideal situation the teacher m ight get permission to observe such events). strict rules of procedure)? • W ill there be a tight structure (e. if it is to be chaired at all? W h at is the chair’s role? W h at contributions are to be made by participants in the meeting? W h at is the function of the meeting (e. For example. Let me ju st go over that again. (when we want to talk about a particular topic).. and so on)? • H ow formal will it be (e. make decisions. This information is not available to other learners in the group.. together with a role-card which gives specific information which the learner will need during the meeting. justifying. brainstorm. they could be asked to organize a conference in a hotel. or A b o u t. Normally people in meetings are doing things like passing on information. to discuss issues. Do you agree ?). including opinions about the issues being discussed.. and which type of meeting to focus on. It is probably not worth spending too much time on convoluted phrases which m ight appear.. which makes the whole role-play more realistic. timings)? • W ill minutes be produced? If so. W ith a small group of experienced managers. Do you mean .). OK (for I agree). So the language teacher’s focus should reflect this. and then be given access to the hotel websites in order to gather relevant information before coming together to find the best solution. Points to consider when designing meeting simulations include: • • • • W ho is to chair the meeting. so one of the first things to do is decide how to approach the topic in the classroom. agenda.H ow to Teach Business English
are words like OK? (meaning. and far more useful to practise the language and skills that actually occur in meetings.
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. give out tasks. Role-plays and simulations which come close to what the learners do in real life will obviously be the most useful. find solutions to problems. with a large group of pre-experience learners it might be worth spending some time explaining different types of meeting before going on to form small groups who role-play scenarios set by the teacher. defending their position. persuading. pass on information. . M eeting simulation .the teacher gives each learner a copy of an agenda and some background information.g.another option is to present the learners with background information. f) and summarizing (Can we just recap?.g. Here are a couple of ways to set up such an exercise: M eeting role-play .. For example. thus creating a simulation rather than a role-play (see the discussion in Chapter 4). on the other hand.. and then allow them to play themselves.

It gives a realistic reason for the simulation. An hour should suffice.
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.Is everyone clear about the way we do reviews? . Because it was designed for experienced learners. 1 am on holiday for the next three weeks. Kevin Original message To: Assistant Manager From: Manager Subject: Cost reduction Hi Kevin As you know. costs Hi Guys.there are clearly areas we can improve. Alternatively. As you also know. in this case) is one which was very relevant to the participants in the group.Do the right people go to these meetings? . While 1 am away 1 would like you to get together with the project team leaders. the learners had to bring their own experience and knowledge. 1think. 1suggest we meet on Monday at 3pm in the large conference room. but having to defend their own work. Learners can also be asked to take minutes of meetings held in the class. T he topic (cost reduction.Are the participants well prepared for the meeting? . Note that there is not enough information given just in the set-up material to carry out the simulation.Do we have enough/too many meetings? . and effectively sets up the agenda for the meeting. This mirrors what happens in real life.5 • Teaching business speaking skills
To: You From: Assistant Manager Subject: Forwarded message re. we need to reduce costs within GR45. It’s self-explanatory. and then use these to explain what happened in the meeting to the other learners. learners can be asked to bring authentic minutes into class.
People who work in companies are used to receiving emails which set up meetings (the simulation mentioned above was written for a department which had just been taken over by an US company. 1 believe it is time we re­ examined the way we carry out production reviews . John ❖ 1 N
I
. and was undergoing English training). and the discussions about whose minutes are the most accurate will inevitably generate additional useful language because the learners are no longer playing a role.Do participants have the necessary training and experience to carry out reviews? Regards. John has just sent me this email. and come up with suggestions for improvement: The following questions may be useful to you in your discussions: . just as they do in real life.

But it is possible to argue that most negotiations can be divided into certain categories or types. B: 10. Diplomats negotiate borders and international trade treaties. It is what is done when the family discusses which T V programme to watch. in effect. and sometimes clear mutual interests. Buying a house or a car m ight be an example of this. The long-term relationship with the other party may not be important. We are m ajor customers. Can you explain why 10. B: Ah.000. any gains made by party A are regarded as a loss by party B. if there is only one deal. In contrast.
The two negotiators have made clear w hat their positions are.
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. Distributive.000. T he aim is to concentrate on needs and interests.H ow to Teach Business English
Negotiating
Negotiation is something which many people do regularly on a day-to-day basis. Business people negotiate prices and delivery dates. Negotiations are.
Types of negotiation
There are basically two types of negotiation. not positions. This sort of negotiation is characterized by discussion and exploration where parties focus on what they have in common. but I can't go below 10. often regarding price or how limited resources should be shared. or w in-lose negotiating involves a situation where the negotiating parties have directly opposing goals. B: Ah. but I can't go below 10. Here is the same pair. Negotiation is about bargaining with another party to get something we want. what is im portant is getting the best deal possible. A: That w ould be great.000 is so im portant? A: We have just spent a lot on new plant. Sometimes one side has all the power and can call the shots. Sometimes there will be conflict. Each side has a position which they want to defend. integrative or win-w in negotiating seeks goals which are not mutually exclusive. They are p uttin g quite a lot o f pressure on us. competitive. nothing more than a special form of meeting. Here are two sales executives discussing price:
A: I'm sorry. Which bank are you using? A: Rich Brothers pic.000 is a problem fo r us. and that these negotiations go through certain stages. Seeing it as a win-lose situation. or when a couple decide what to eat for dinner. B: But my boss has set me a lim it o f 8000. and we need to pay the bank which gave us a loan fo r this. it is useful to examine these in a bit more detail in order to better understand the language which m ight be used. that's interesting. or when the neighbours play their music too loud. and to seek outcomes where A and B both gain. and so much of the language used is similar to that discussed in the previous section. Perhaps we can help by speaking to the bank ourselves. Sometimes compromise will be necessary. they have quickly reached an impasse. or at least there is some sort of conflict. but they have taken on a w in-w in perspective:
A: I'm sorry. A n example may make this distinction clear. Politicians negotiate over spending public funds. and actively seek out alternative solutions.

and understanding these stages is useful in trying to work out potentially useful language. M any o f the real pressures on the learners have nothing to do with the
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. about the feasibility o f possible settlements. Inform ation using: at this stage. Bidding: the process o f m aking moves from one's initial.5 • Teaching business speaking skills
Successful integrative negotiators (such as the second speaker above) explore the needs and interests behind the position. and find a way forward. Both the negotiator and the other party have to assure themselves th a t they reached a deal they can be happy w ith. or issues settled by arbitrators or the courts.
Stages in negotiation
Negotiations go through a series of stages. or the situation has changed and new questions exist. but these give a limited appreciation o f where the difficulties are. One of the key skills of any negotiator is the ability to recognize potential for moving away from a win-lose situation to win-win. Not uncommonly. summarizing. or at least live w ith. key points were missed. understanding how you and th e o th e r are sim ilar and d iffe re n t. th in k in g ahead how to w ork to ge th er w ith the other party. one th a t w ill maximize the negotiator's own needs. This presentation is often used to 'sell' the negotiator's preferred outcome to the other. negotiators assemble the case they w ant to make fo r th e ir preferred outcomes and settlem ent. Relationship b uilding: g ettin g to know the other party. parties discover th a t the agreement is flawed. and the deal may have to be reopened. and then makes moves in th a t offer. tow ards a m iddle ground. Closing the deal: the objective here is to build com m itm ent to the agreement achieved in the previous phase. proposing. Bidding is the process by which each party states th e ir opening offer. ideal position to the actual outcome. and building com m itm ent to w ard achieving a m utually beneficial set o f outcomes. defining goals.
From M anaging Strategic Relationships by Greenhalgh
•
•
•
•
•
Language and other negotiating skills
Identifying the key language for use in negotiations can sometimes be quite difficult. and about w ha t m ight happen if you fa il to reach agreement w ith the other side. Inform ation gathering: learning w hat you need to know about the issues. asking questions. about the other party and th e ir needs. Business English coursebooks often concentrate on functional areas like clarifying. M ost negotiations are neither wholly distributive nor wholly integrative. Im plem enting the agreement: determ ining w ho needs to do w hat once the hands are shaken and the documents signed. agreeing and disagreeing. T he following table illustrates what m ight be involved:
• • Preparation: deciding w h a t is im portant. it is more of a continuum. Flaws in moving th ro ug h the earlier phases arise here.

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. • You need 50 standard desks w ith in 60 days. A nd no negotiator ever has enough information about the other side’s real motivations and desires. • You w an t 30 days' credit. • Catalogue prices include delivery. a fter all). • Your standard payment terms are 50% on order. This can be changed to 30 days. M ost obviously.there may be a boss who wants certain results. so relationshipbuilding skills are vital. that is. Partner B You are a salesman fo r a company th a t produces office fu rn itu re . W e have probably all walked away from a negotiation with a used-car salesman or streetmarket trader (or something similar) having paid considerably more than we had intended to. • You wish to have a 10% discount (it is a large order. 20% w ould be better. as well as providing opportunities to practise relevant language. • You give discounts on large orders as follow s: 100 items . 200 items . Unfortunately. to do role-plays and simulations in class. It is also relatively easy to adapt such role-plays to suit our own class. but not assembly (3% extra). or there may be a promotion which depends on how the negotiation goes. although it is also possible to use observers to watch the negotiation and give feedback. M ost business English learners will have no problem understanding the situation. These allow the development of non-linguistic negotiating skills. Here is a summary o f your company's term s o f paym ent and delivery: • Your standard delivery terms are 60 days. • You do not wish to pay fo r delivery and assembly. and will be able to explore the issues and find the solution. T he camera is a very useful tool for reviewing activities. it is much harder to turn him down when he makes his offer.7%. and 50% on delivery.H ow to Teach Business English
language . so the idea is that they will negotiate to find compromises giving something to each side. A new customer has asked you to visit them and discuss a possible large order. If the person we are negotiating with comes across as a ‘nice guy’. Here is a summary o f your aims: • You need 20 executive desks and 3 super executive desks w ith in 30 days. but there is some flexibility regarding which goals have the highest priority.5%. there are a range of factors which make such negotiation role-play unrealistic. T he beauty of such role-plays is that they are very easy to set up. 300 items . You are interested in ordering a qua ntity o f desks from a new supplier. but this increases the price to the customer by 10%. Perhaps the best way. each side has specific goals. Negotiations are also about people and personalities. to practise negotiations is to adopt a taskbased approach. Here is a simple role-play scenario:
Partner A You are th e chief purchaser fo r your company.3%. then. the participants know it is not for real. or there may be a vagueness about what your own side really wants.
This is typical of the sort of role-play often found in coursebooks. Both sides cannot have everything they want.

Work in two groups. Try to agree on an acceptable level o f advertising in: T. the information given lacks substance. Teacher role-plays one side. and should make sure that learners understand the situation and their own roles. Group B (pro-smoking lobby) Task 1: Prepare a short presentation on why you support the right to smoke. They may need to invent information which they haven’t been given. and have to explain their ideas clearly and come up with a solution that is agreeable to both sides. Decide where you are happy to compromise. Discussion and comment on tactics and language used. following the agenda below. Task 2: Prepare to negotiate with the anti-smoking lobby. so that the participants cannot really explore alternatives in any depth or detail. Step 2 repeated. this role-play is in many ways more realistic than the buyer-seller scenarios above. Follow the instructions below and prepare for the negotiation.V. or at least be checked for verisimilitude by job-experienced learners.V. learner role-plays the other (preferably own). T he scenario m ight reflect a real business situation. group A and group B.5 • Teaching business speaking skills
Also. M otivation can be increased by telling them that the other side is really taking things seriously’. Here is another role-play. One way to practise negotiations with an experienced learner is as follows: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Teacher asks learner to explain background to negotiations that he/she does. (late at night) Cinema (all adult film s) Newspapers (all) M agazines (all except children's) Billboards (not within lkm o f schools)
Agenda
1 2 3 4 5 Welcome / Aim Short presentation: pro-smoking lobby Short presentation: anti-smoking lobby Negotiation (T V / cinema / newspapers / magazines / billboards) Summary and action plan
From In-company Intermediate by Powell
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.
4 You are going to participate in a negotiation to agree on the appropriate level o f tobacco advertising in your country. Teacher and learner exchange roles and role-play again. Task 2: Prepare to negotiate with the pro-smoking lobby. and this can be frustrating for all concerned. For example. Try to agree on an acceptable level o f advertising in: T. Group A (anti-smoking lobby) Task 1: Prepare a short presentation on the dangers of smoking. Decide where you are happy to compromise. (definitely no) Cinema (only to accompany restricted film s) Newspapers (no . a negotiation role-play will give as much background information as possible. Discussion and comment on tactics and language used. This time the learners do have the necessary background knowledge. and not for 50? Ideally.read by all public) M agazines (only certain ones) Billboards (not within 3km o f schools) 5 Hold the negotiation. Although the issues may not be related to the learners’ everyday business requirements. what are the reasons for the delivery dates? W hy does one side want credit? W hy a discount for 100 desks. (Adapted from comments made to the author by M ark Powell)
Reverse role simulations of this kind enable learner and teacher to maximally contribute their knowledge and expertise to the task. T he teacher should allow enough time for preparation.

Looking ahead
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.H ow to Teach Business English
Conclusions
This chapter has focused on how to teach key business speaking skills: • socializing • small talk • telephoning • presentations • meetings • negotiations The next chapter w ill focus on w ritin g skills. which fo r some learners is all the contact th a t they w ill have w ith English in th e ir work.

and more importantly. In one way. Some teachers see writing as a problem-solving process which can involve brainstorming ideas. structuring the selected ideas. have the same kind of
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.
Approaches to teaching w riting
There are many theories as to how writing is best taught. speaking is more natural. Teachers may ask learners to work through these stages in a writing task so that the learners can master these various skills. as well as providing an overall evaluation of the end result. in that it is not usually spontaneous and near-instantaneous. writing is easier than speaking. teachers can help learners develop as writers in this way by acting as a language resource. and so on. and so on. W ritten communication offers different challenges from spoken interaction. and writing more contrived. word order. It allows communication across time and space. lexis. is used in a vast range of different situations. it is a skill that needs to be learned. as well as skills in linking paragraphs and sentences together.Teaching business inrriting skills
Business w riting Correspondence Contracts Reports CVs Agendas and minutes W riting for the Internet Business writing
W riting is a key part of the day-to-day activities of most businesses and.g. like speaking. But at almost any level. This kind of process approach probably works best with higher-level students who already have a reasonable command of the language. which was briefly mentioned in Chapter 1. getting feedback from peers. skills in spelling. W riting requires planning and organizational skills. and provides an invaluable medium for storing records and other information. or grammar). punctuation. T he underlying theory here is that texts of a certain type. Such feedback might include advice on dealing with the various stages of the process (mentioned above) or on issues of language (such as appropriate or accurate use of expressions. drafting and redrafting. by providing feedback. A n alternative approach to the teaching of writing is the genre (or text) approach. There is time to think about what the sender has sent and what the reply should contain. letters. e. O n the other hand. word choice.

which involves creating a logical argument or sequence which makes sense to the reader. After all. every letter is unique and has its own specific characteristics. U nfortunately the transm itter was to ta lly destroyed in November's earthquake. which in turn are different from agendas. learners are given the chance to study model texts. which allows far more creativity. is to ensure coherence. for example. Others argue that the theory of genre is useful for teachers and learners alike because it gives learners something concrete to aim for. Learners may be given the opportunity to focus on particular features. and most o f the equipm ent had arrived by the end o f March. for example. letters o f confirmation. as well as lexical items. T he first way. including transm itter components. particularly with lower levels. and to o k tw o weeks to assemble. This is done through various grammatical devices. O f course. T he following brief analysis of an extract from a press release shows how this works:
W ork on the new comm unication fa cility at Saniza Junction started in January. A d d itio n a l equipm ent. from reports. and to base their own writing on what they have noticed in the texts. letters o f enquiry. such as conjunctions and pronouns. since for most business English learners writing is instrumental (focusing on achieving a particular goal or achieving an outcome).how paragraphs and sentences work together. A genre like letters can be divided into sub-genres like letters o f persuasion. one aim will be to look at elements of structure .
The structure of w riting
W ith either approach to teaching.H ow to Teach Business English
purpose as each other and show similar language and features. This is quite different from the process approach discussed above. designed to give practice at this (the correct order is written in the righthand margin). it is likely that teachers will combine elements of process and genre approaches when designing lesson activities. and will then be asked to compose their own versions. Some teachers argue against a genre approach. Secondly. O n page 83 is an example of an exercise for advanced learners.
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. saying that the notion of genre is too vague to be of practical use to the student. in these terms. There are two principal ways to do this. in tim e fo r President Kanaso's opening ceremony on A ugust 1. Commissioning to ok place in the final week o f July. Note that we used a similar approach in Chapter 5 to teach speaking skills. In a genre approach. was delivered th ro u g h o u t the months o f A p ril and May. it is rare to find even native-speaker business people starting from scratch (how many contracts are written without reference to previous ones. cohesion is about how sentences connect with each other to form a sense of unity. Yet. Letters are different. Indeed. The foundations were completed in February. for example?). this is probably not a major issue. and so on.

5
6 3 1
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2
Graham Thorpe
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. Let me begin by examining the non-payment for the presentation. you said th a t JK Holgings refused to reim burse your company for travel and accommodation expenses. Thank you for your letter of Ju n e 28. Such accusations are not to be taken lightly. and work out the best order for the
liaiagiitpus. Therefore we cannot reim burse expenses for any expenses which occurred after the contract was signed. We were very satisfied with your sales engineers’ performance.6 • Teaching business w ritin g skills
Look at the following letter. For this reason I have closely examined your complaints. My investigation of your complaints led me to conclude th a t JK Holgings is not obliged to make the paym ents th at you request.1 it clearly states th a t this kind of expenditure is deemed to be com pensated by the commission paid to your company Accordingly we cannot pay you ex tra for this presentation. The trip actually took place after the contract between JK Holgings and our client was signed. In paragraph 4. I also checked the dates for the travel and accommodation costs you mentioned. I tru s t this m atter will not jeopardize our business relationship. I examined our agency agreement. Secondly.2 it states th a t our agreem ent term inates when a contract is signed between JK Holgings and the client. you stated th at JK Holgings refused to pay for a m arket analysis presentation your company gave to a potential client on our behalf. I am deeply concerned th at you feel your sales engineers have been unfairly treated by JK Holgings. Yours sincerely. Dear Ms Lee. paragraphs. and we fully intend to use your services again in the future if at all possible. In your letter you said th a t you felt unfairly treated for two reasons. Firstly. and in paragraph 2. particularly as we at JK Holgings pride ourselves on treating our clients and p artners fairly.

and November offers additional links. • Purpose — the practical intent of the letter is of key importance. and what works in one cultural setting may not work in another. May. as do the verbs in similar tense was delivered. The second conjunction and in the third sentence allows a missing it . issues such as grammar. Business people are more likely to read an email and say. international business documents need to be kept as simple as possible if the audience is not as proficient at English as the writer. T he focus is on the outcome of the task. and the expected response. They may come from a different cultural context from that of the writer. rather than. even if the message is essentially the same. for example? Learners would probably write a letter to their favourite client differently from one to their best friend at work. it is probably not. rather than the production of the document as an end in itself.the readers of a piece of business writing may be experts. • Audience . Knowing the audience will also affect the style of the letter: is it to be formal or informal. ‘Great. Unfortunately signals a change of mood (something bad is to be reported). February. T he audience may also come from a different professional context. April. the reader must already know what is being talked about. was destroyed. August. Is it really worth spending hours in the classroom so that letters can be a little bit better? From a business perspective.
The context of w riting
Like business speaking. ‘This email is unacceptable —it’s full of mistakes’. T he adjective Additional must refer back to a previous sentence if it is to make sense. and punctuation remain to be addressed. took place. vocabulary. but is nevertheless worth thinking about. we have just seen that it is considered good practice to start off a paragraph with a topic sentence that explains what is to come. July. A t a sentence level. However. and links the two clauses. later confirmed by the use of words like destroyed and earthquake. The m ention of January. Acceptability in the business world is rarely judged by grammatical niceties. March. it is more common to lead up to a topic gradually. preferring speed
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. This may sound an anathema to many teachers. with the word commissioning. we’ve got the contract’. or customers. Furthermore. This means that a business English writer needs to consider the audience. Similarly. business writing happens in context. and explains why business English teachers often integrate writing skills into activities which are also designed to address other skills (simulations and case studies are typical of this). such a practice is only common in the West. for example. M any in­ company trainers will testify to the fact that while their students may chuckle at such mistakes in letters from other companies. in many Asian contexts. or laypersons. Some companies have a policy about the quality of their email. it must relate appropriately to its setting. but by whether or not the document can be used. For example. took.H ow to Teach Business English
T he paragraph starts off with a topic sentence which lets the reader know what the paragraph is about. the purpose of the document. the reality is that sometimes it just does not matter that much.

each learner is given one of the crosswords (see page 86).exactly the opposite of what teachers are trying to do. profits. customer. Sometimes writing has to be very precise. rather than. short term. It also depends on the teaching context. designed to focus learners’ attention on different genres in business writing. ‘It looks like we should be finished by the end o f June’. or minutes which will be referred to again and again.
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. W riters do not always wish to commit themselves in writing. T he im portant thing with any document is to ensure that learners try and place themselves in the reader’s shoes and ask. ‘W e will be finished by the end o f June’. From a feedback perspective. H ow im portant accuracy is depends on the purpose of the document. T he group then discusses the right order that the different items might be sent in.contracts. partner etc) • W h at are the main issues at stake? (loss of business. Another point here has to do with the degree of vagueness of the language in the document. But sometimes sentences like.the expected or desired response to the writing should also be considered. or supplying incorrect delivery dates. red-inking every mistake on a practice letter may have the effect of destroying a learner’s confidence . for example. details on a project. A teacher working w ith pre­ experienced university learners who are preparing for a written business studies exam may have to take a very different approach from that of the in-company trainer who is having to deal with the everyday practicalities of business.6 • Teaching business w ritin g skills
and efficiency to linguistic accuracy (particularly with internal emails). It was written for a group of learners whose job involved daily interaction with customers on matters of spare parts delivery Paired crosswords . it is no good giving the wrong amount of money in a price quotation. loss of trust etc) • Is there enough information? W ill my reader know what I need or want them to do?
Sample activities for teaching business w riting
Here is a typical activity. can be far more flexible if something goes wrong. O f course. ‘H ow would I respond if I had received this document?’ Here are some questions which m ight help a business English learner assess response: • W h at is the relationship between me and my reader (or between the companies we work for)? (long term. and has to fill it in by asking a partner (who has the corresponding crossword) to explain the missing words without showing the crossword or stating the words directly. their letter may be far more direct and impolite than the one they might have otherwise written. for example. If learners write a letter of complaint when they are angry or stressed. Finally. actual examples o f each type of document are examined and compared. • Response . some documents do have to be very precise .

or which form part of useful lexical phrases).. These can be used in combination.H ow to Teach Business English
1 a P o 2 e n
I o 9 y
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4q u 0 t u i r y
5
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i 0 n
4
1 a c k n o w I e d
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5i
7
6 o r d e r
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n 9 6 V e m o e m i n d e r n c t e
There are other ways of approaching the teaching of writing.. T he syllabus threads offered in Chapter 3 may also be used. is..... There’s a problem . focuses on punctuation as well as on common lexical phrases. a structural thread might concentrate on written grammar. or which they need to focus on.. T he following exercise. Correcting the email . the software. are both covered.teRq
In stage two. applying for a job.. a functional thread on persuading. This might be the . learners are asked to punctuate the following email message:
Subject: shan hi hq network problem update hi john its difficult to say what the problem is at the moment ive asked harry to run a trace i think theres possibly a problem with the customers software the pcs are using both dipos and ws6x this might be the reason the connection doesnt come up harrys going to send me his results when he finishes the trace so ill probably get back to you tomorrow some time
> \
'
? ..... I’ll get back ... send me an email. so that grammar and lexis... you tomorrow sometime... it doesn’t work.. or comparing and contrasting.in stage one of this activity. learners should use the email above to help them to fill in the gaps (below) with a suitable word: It’s difficult to say w hat the . informing..... say. and so on.
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. a situational thread on situations such as writing to a customer. I’ve asked H arry .. a lexical thread on standard phrases.. Here are ten more ways to adapt and use authentic documents: • Gap-fill (remove words which learners could guess from the context.. based on an authentic email.

Learners are provided with a purpose and a context for writing. or C IF (Cost. it is interactive. • Put all the verbs into infinitive form and ask learners to correct. • Summarize. or sent by email. and faxes. as happens in real life. such as Littlejohn’s Company to Company. and Freight) are standard trade definitions published by the International Chamber of Commerce. emails.g. job applications. as well as the multitude of different types of letters and commercial documents dealing with issues such as enquiries. merely modes of delivery. from scribbled notes and informal emails to formal legal contracts. Likewise. in that a reply is often expected. or minutes. Inevitably. Specialist books. faxes can vary. Learners write a follow-up letter. credit. delivery. write a few notes on what sort of response is required (e. This is different from other documents like contracts. It is im portant to note that the different forms o f correspondence are not necessarily separate genres. or ‘inform them that the quality wasn’t good enough’. • E dit text to find or correct errors. • O n a letter. For example. reports. it is probably true to say that some emails share characteristics traditionally associated with spoken conversation. making arrangements. perhaps with scribbled notes on them as a method of reply. O n page 88 is a page from the teacher’s book. and some attention given to matters of appropriate layout and style. • Ask learner to give an oral report on the contents (with or without notes). go a lot deeper. acknowledgements. Letters can be faxed. payment. Often commercial correspondence uses specialist terms which teachers have to master if they are to understand what is going on. T he focus is on communication. • Divide a number of sentences into two parts. There are so many types of written correspondence. and letters which are sent by one group are received and acted upon by another. Note how the task involves a whole series of different letters.6 • Teaching business w ritin g skills
• M ixed/jumbled text (or phrases). and use task-based approaches to act as a basis for the learning process. and so on). and so on. but often lists of useful phrases are included and practised. ‘Tell them we can’t deliver before June 6’. Insurance. Each subsequent letter depends on what has gone before.
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. sometimes they consist of formal letters or forms.
Correspondence
Correspondence includes w riting letters. which are statements that do not require a written reply. delays. not grammatical niceties nor perfect use of expressions. However. most general coursebooks cannot go into this area in great depth. although these may be brought to the learners’ attention once the task is over (see page 84). or FOB (free on board). offers. • Comprehension questions. insurance. Normally. complaints. at other times they may take the form of a memo. orders. Incoterms (International commercial terms) such as EX W (ex-works). and then ask learners to find the matching sentence halves. mobile phone text messages. • Change style from formal to informal. which gives an idea of what can be done.

contract interpretations. Hanston Electrics and Midtec Cables for quotes.
TAVRIDIS Ltd
Electrical Contractor
Rejects quotation
Writes to give bad news: there has been a fire in the factory.
Writes to give good news: the price has been reduced.
H AN STON
Electrics
Good news: they can supply the cable (but it is too late). Setting the right tone in a letter or even an email is difficult for many native speakers. They order from Hanston Electrics. defective goods.E
Basic plot: A company called Tavridis in Greece. announcing redundancies. and so on. Hanston finds a new supplier but this comes too late and they lose the order.
Asks if they would now like to order or confirms order.
STAGE 2
Accepts quotation and orders cable. Any business English teacher attempting to teach English for business correspondence would soon lose face if they were not aware of the most common terms.H ow to Teach Business English
A c tiv ity :
FROM QUOTE TO SAI. They ask two companies. but at the same time Hanston is w riting to say they cannot supply the cable because o f a fire in their suppliers’ factory. This is hardly surprising when topics could include such tricky issues as late payment. Midtec writes w ith news o f a price reduction. and learners often need help in this area.
M ID T E C
C A BLES LTD
and are very common in commercial correspondence. One way to work on this language is to do consciousness-raising activities where the learners are given the chance to focus on specific aspects
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.
STAGE 3
Cancels order. wants to buy a large quantity o f cable.

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. which was th at you would act as our exclusive agents until Ja n u a ry 2006. Ask learners (having read the letter) to work in pairs and re-create the letter (without access to the original). Ask learners to write a follow-up letter. Learners are given fifteen minutes to write short email responses to all of these situations. Ask learners to write two possible replies: the first is an apology. Here are some example activities. W hat would you write? T he XXX and Z Z Z in the boxes on page 90 can be adjusted to suit the group the teacher is working with. However. who informed me th a t you are now acting as agents on behalf of his company You will no doubt already be aware th at he is very satisfied with your efforts. so much the better.
Ask learners to describe the function(s) of each paragraph. Ask learners to complete it (an alternative is to add extra words/phrases. and ask learners to delete them). after which they compare their responses with those of their peers.6 • Teaching business w ritin g skills
of language use in authentic documents. and th a t you will honour our agreem ent in future. focusing on tone and style. and the second a request to terminate the agreement. and identify the key words and phrases. Remove key words/phrases from the letter. which are often written quickly. then I feel I have no option but to term inate our agreem ent in accordance with Clause 13b. Compare results. It is now June 15. I look forw ard to receiving your reply by June 14. Here is a simple exercise designed to practise emails. Finish off with a class discussion. this is clearly a breach of our agreement. and no reply has been received. Compare the result with the original. If you are unable to comply with this reasonable request. using an extract from some formal correspondence: You will be interested to know th at I recently m et with Jack Mandon. If you can get hold of the original reply. I therefore require your w ritten assurance th a t your business relationship with Jack Mandon will cease forthwith.

O ther activities using contracts may tie reading and writing skills in with listening skills. He's flying in tom orrow . Appendices and other accompanying documents. W riting them would stretch many a teacher’s own competence to the limit. detailing and concluding an agreement. by M onday m orning.H ow to Teach Business English
You have heard th a t Jane Smith. You promised to send him one.
Jon Cachett. In some parts of the world.
A Spanish colleague is due to visit your city fo r the first tim e. But reading and interpreting contracts is something which learners often have to do. Responsibilities and undertakings of each party. w ith directions to your office. language learning work on contracts involves using worksheets (created by the teacher.
Contracts
W ritten contracts are agreements which aim to lessen misunderstanding and provide a formal record for reference. from XXX. In other countries. and has asked you fo r some inform ation (maps etc). W rite and inform him th a t you are sending some items by post. A n example is given at the top o f the page opposite. Contracts normally include some or all of the following elements: • • • • • • • Introduction with definitions and names of various parties. A time frame for the agreement. Ask if he is available next m onth.
Typically. a copy o f the minutes from a m eeting your boss attended last week. Insurance details in case of problems. w ill be visiting ZZZ next m onth. a colleague from XXX. Things can be changed if the situation alters. O r
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.
A supplier's representative has cancelled a visit. the learner reads through a contract and then listens to a recorded discussion before making some amendments. Contracts can be interpreted differently by different cultures.
An American colleague in XXX w ould like you to visit her next week. You need to o ffe r to book a hotel fo r her. or from a coursebook) in order to practise particular lexical items. U nfortunately you can't go. they may be seen as a comm itm ent to do business together. along with engaging in contract-related written correspondence and amendments. Dispute resolution or arbitration arrangements. Terms of payment and delivery. due to ill-health. on the 13th or the 15th. They are extremely common in the business world. for example. but you fo rg o t. nothing more. phoned you and asked fo r a map o f ZZZ. contracts are seen as binding documents. You should also suggest some useful websites he m ight like to look at.
You need. and often depend on fine nuances of language. although thankfully this task is normally left to legal experts.

. Summary .. and a purpose statement giving the reason they were produced...... cancel... and ask learners to replace them.
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..remove paragraph headings or key words from important paragraphs (such as the introduction or conclusion) of a company report. and get examples of authentic reports of the type required.. incorrect. Word-processing software (such as M S Word™) sometimes includes handy templates of documents in report format.ask learners to read a report (in English or in their own language) and produce a one-page executive summary (in English). names of authors and addressees. discussion.. They may be written for experts or laypersons.
Reports
Reports are documents which offer the reader the results of an enquiry of some sort (such as research. The body of the report is likely to include paragraphs on background... 4 The parties to the contract undertake not to reveal confidential information to a n y .. Here are four activities which can be done to practise report writing skills.. 2 Visitors to the factory shall . or do you need more information?
1 The contractor can visit the supplier’s factory at any time. Are they correct. A report may also include appendices. comply
1 The contractor shall have f r e e . visit. with all safety and security regulations. 3 In the event of a work stoppage. and which require minimum preparation on the part of the teacher: Gap-fill .. 4 The contractor may not discuss the details of the visit with anyone from the supplier’s company. where the two sides clarify issues or negotiate changes. and an index. access. mixed up)... The contractor m ust w ear a helmet when visiting the supplier’s factory.. so the first thing the teacher should do is to discover the local policy. a visit at any point. then there are numerous examples on the Internet. results. They tend to have a standard format in most institutions. If this is not possible. a list of references.
Z
contracts may be used in negotiation role-plays.. the supplier reserves the right to . methodology of the enquiry.. 3 The supplier may ask the contractor to leave the factory if production stops.
Now look at the following statements.6 • Teaching business w ritin g skills
Use these words to complete the sentences below.to the supplier’s factory during norm al working hours.. conclusions. outside parties. and feasibility studies) or an account of some event(s). either with their own version or with the original words (which are provided. Reports normally start off with a title. and recommendations. technical inspection.

Yet there is a glimmer of hope. CVs are normally sent together with a covering letter. Finish off by asking learners to select ten useful phrases which they m ight like to use in their own reports.
Here is a list of possible verbs to use on your CV. and so on). phrases used in the introduction/conclusion. The rest of the class ask questions and take notes as necessary. O ther activities include working on the necessary lexis.
CVs
Business English teachers are often asked to help with the writing of a learner’s curriculum vitae (called a resume in the US). there is often conflicting advice from so-called ‘experts’. how reference is made to information in appendices. CV writing is influenced by level within a company. but they can be difficult to get right. N ot only are these vital documents for the learner concerned. Secondly. This is the applicant’s chance to highlight what they have to offer. and produce a new (improved) report as a team effort. and how they might benefit the company they are applying to. it is im portant to recognize that no one size fits all. Finally. (like this: I designed a technical m odification which enabled the production line to increase its o u tp u t by 12%. One reason for this is that the style (and therefore effectiveness) of a CV depends on who is going to read it. type (most CVs are chronological or functional). so what the teacher advises may be in direct conflict with advice that the learner has just downloaded from the Internet. the introduction of a new product) which they have been involved in. Sometimes it is possible to find out what a particular company actually wants in a C V (they may even have a standard format that they can provide). Write four statements describing your achievements in the last year. what personal information to include. Oral account to written report . Again. Here is an exercise for C V writers (particularly those aiming at a job in the US) who need to use verbs with a positive connotation to describe their achievements. and so on. learners compare reports. Such letters can be practised quite successfully using a genre approach. or which they have heard about.) created conducted coordinated improved designed provided addressed established solved assisted
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. W ith CVs.a member of the class speaks. This can be especially problematic in an international setting.H ow to Teach Business English
Comparing . M icrosoft W ord1M comes complete with standard template formats which are commonly used. High-level executives have CVs that look different (and not only with respect to content) from workers on the shop floor. Institutions like the European Commission have created a standard document for use in Europe. and then write a brief report on the event. describing an event (such as an accident.obtain examples of different reports (from the learners or the Internet). and ask learners to compare various aspects (such as overall structure. and yet decisions have to be made about length. Thirdly. No hard and fast rules exist. a visit.

which can be completely different in terms of style and detail. via the W orld W ide Web. and it may be necessary to link written information
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. and externally. Agendas also come in many shapes and sizes. but for shared use or publication.6 • Teaching business w ritin g skills
Agendas and minutes
Agendas are lists of items which are to be discussed at a meeting. to sales information on new products.
Writing for the Internet
T he Internet is used increasingly for business communication purposes. but for internal use only. and then compare their results. and are only to be used internally. in that design and layout play a much more overt role. These are often the most formal. The minutes are the written record of that meeting. including names of chair and person responsible for minutes • Items to be discussed (with presenters’ names and time allocated) • Details of any preparation required • Additional information or appendices One way to practise writing minutes is for learners to do so during a roleplay designed to practise meeting skills (see Chapter 5). Learners produce minutes independently of each other. but the basic function is to record decisions made and summarize who is to do what by when. These will often include subjective comments. these are attended by company personnel. and may take the format of action notes (simply recording names of who is doing w hat by when). Employees may be asked to write anything from company newsletters. and may form the basis for negotiations or contracts. decisions made. There are many different styles. both internally (as an intranet within a company). These can be quite informal. • M inutes written to record meetings with outside agencies (customers or partners). and voting details Action points and responsibilities Details of next meeting
Any organization will normally have three types of minutes. Formal minutes may include: • • • • • • • Names of attendees Apologies (from those absent) Review of minutes o f previous meetings Summary of discussions Record of proposals. to ‘H ow to find us’ information. • M inutes written to record meetings with outside agencies (customers or partners). but may include all or some of the following: • • • • • Objectives Location Start and end times Breaks Details of participants. These are: • M inutes written to record internal meetings. T he principles of writing for the web are different from those of many other business documents.

such as ‘Tips on how to learn a language’. comparing results. if at all.g. distant from the teacher. Presenting the class . the learners design and build the website. ‘T he aims and syllabus’ of the course they are on. including correspondence. which relies on models o f language as a starting point. and then produce the website. or to other websites. and w ritin g fo r the Internet. such as what they like and dislike about the classes. and editing. Others may not have the necessary expertise. which they m ight use to create their Internet pages. or examples of their written work. drafting. or may mirror their real-life requirements (e. W ith some groups. • examined d iffe re n t types o f business w ritin g w ith in the overall fram ew ork o f process or genre approaches.
Looking ahead
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. learners then plan a website which presents their own company history (with pre-experience learners it may be more appropriate for them to either research a company. CVs. However. or commercially available software packages. or work together on a whole group effort which combines the best features. • looked at a process approach. the need to write simple. and vote on the best effort. to a large extent. or their feelings about learning a foreign language. Here are two possible activities: Company history . Learners visit each other’s websites. and the resources available. reports. which can act as a record of their learning progress. incorporating this material. In pairs. clear English is also still there. or information about a special offer for customers). Their statements might also include other information. ‘Glossaries of new words and phrases’ learned on the course.learners take photos of themselves and prepare short written statements about why they are learning English. Finally. T he final decision may well also depend. Some groups will be familiar with using html (a programming language which instructs the computer how to display a particular page).
Conclusions
In this chapter we have: • noted th a t business w ritin g is d iffe re n t from spoken interaction. contracts. in such cases it is possible to ask learners to produce written text on a presentation program like M icrosoft’s PowerPoint™. • discussed a genre approach. which divides the w ritin g into stages such as brainstorming. the production of a departmental flier about the Christmas party. on the teacher’s own ability and interests. agendas and minutes. it may be appropriate to ask learners to produce their own website. which can later be uploaded as necessary. In the next chapter we consider how teaching can be done when the learner is in a d iffe re n t place. or to invent a company).learners are asked to visit a number of other company websites. and to make notes of how the company history is presented.H ow to Teach Business English
to audio or video material. Learners also produce other information sheets.

H ow to teach business English a t a distance
• • • • • Distance learning Distance learning Teaching by telephone E-learning possibilities Using the Internet for business English learning and teaching E-learning in practice
Distance learning refers to a situation where the teacher and learner are physically separated. So a busy executive whose job requires her to fly around the world for meetings would find it difficult to attend regular classes. and when it is learned. the pace. T he principles of effective teaching and learning remain the same: the communicative needs of the learner are paramount. with one communication event following another. with training institutions churning out dozens of courses.
Advantages of distance learning
There are a number of reasons why distance learning is a most effective option for the business English teacher and learner. it is how the medium is utilized that matters. The more open a course is. A t one extreme. this is often easier to incorporate in a distance learning situation. In some companies. and refers to the degree of autonomy the learner has in terms of what is covered on the course.
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. and offering a well-established support infrastructure. teachers and learners can choose the time. but may find a distance learning approach more appropriate. as is a clear idea of the target discourse they are aiming to master. the more independence the learner has. Various types of media can be used to help bridge the gap. separated in time. how it is learned. Open learning is one aspect of distance learning. such as by email). A t the other end of the scale. The medium itself is not the critical point. and content. as in telephone conversations or online chatting) or asynchronous (where communication takes place in stages. a much more personal operation can be found. location. Distance learning can be synchronous (where the communication takes place in real time. with content and style decided by the teacher and the learner. including both traditional paper-based and electronic means. T he key advantage is its flexibility. with people interacting at once. the teacher may be responsible for training a geographically dispersed group. distance learning can be almost ‘industrial’ in character.

But perhaps the greatest disadvantage has to do with the nature of language learning. To become effective. And. some teachers may feel that they are not really in control of the learning process. N ot only is the learner often learning in his or her own time. It is generally a lot harder to ask the teacher for a helping hand if she or he is in another country or time zone. Open-ended activities. Another limitation can be the tendency for distance materials to use activities which require an exact and specific answer. can sometimes only be really useful where the teacher is available to give feedback. but there is no need to provide classrooms. Finally. such as letter writing. and which modules to concentrate on. It is not simply a m atter of buying a ready-to-go coursebook. or which order to do the modules in. it is not as simple as just walking into a classroom and dealing with it. for example. Similarly. W ith computerbased courses this can be frustrating (the simpler programs can show little initiative and little flexibility —it all depends on how sophisticated a level of response has been programmed into the software). with distance learning there is the freedom to explore and to divert from a more lockstep approach (lockstep is where all the learners go through the same sequence of activities. Course delivery or behavioural problems can also be more awkward to solve. some delivery systems (such as computers) need the learner to have a certain amount of technical competence. If the course is reliant upon paper-based materials. If the course is to be delivered electronically. or in situations like airports or during travel (then no time is lost to the company). or the chance to have normal face-to-face (F2F) communication. Distance learning courses tend to take longer to set up too. or quite expensive. learners must be exposed to
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. if they are part of a group. and this can result in frustration or decreased motivation. of course. Some learners find this isolation difficult to deal with. or even aware of how a learner is progressing. O r learners in pre-experienced groups may be separated because they are doing work placements in different companies. there are normally additional materials and delivery systems to organize. and there are often teething problems. certain types of distance learning methodologies rule out activities like group work. distance learning courses can be cheaper than more traditional ones. Another advantage may be cost. T he individual distance learner may be able to choose which modules to ignore. Sometimes communication is difficult.H ow to Teach Business English
they may only meet once a m onth for face-to-face sessions. and is normal in class situations) because it is the learner’s own goals which are paramount. not the group’s.
Disadvantages of distance learning
Nevertheless. the traditional post can be slow and unreliable. the cost of developing and producing materials is almost the same if there are ten students or one hundred students. W e have seen that one feature of distance learning is that the learner may be working alone (or. because of the need for the learners to be able to check their work themselves. usually at the same time. the other group members may be far away). there are disadvantages too.

They may even be written in the learner’s own language. or suggestions about what the learner m ight like to do next. and they must be given the chance to use it. one of the key reasons for the teacher being involved at all is to provide the kind of specific and targeted response that it is difficult for self-study materials to offer. One way to do this is to develop written wrap-around materials. our role is to provide the guidance and support necessary for successful learning.
W rap-around materials are normally written in a conversational style. although it will often fail to take fully into account the interactive nature of communication. there are ways around some o f these issues.
The role of the teacher and teaching materials
So what is the teacher’s role in distance learning? A t one extreme. such as reading. give guidance as to what is im portant and what is less important. point out options available to the learner. These can be fairly simple. after all. and offer study skills tips. the right comment from the teacher at the right time can help sustain or rekindle motivation and interest. and often include anecdotes. Although the principles of designing courses and writing materials for use in distance learning are the same as in F2F teaching. Sometimes the teacher will be able to meet the learner occasionally. however. even if the learner has done little or no work. A t the other extreme. You'll see th a t I've given you a fe w extra phrases which you m ight fin d useful. Exposure can be provided in distance learning up to a point. much more easily than to speaking. Distance learning therefore seems to lend itself best to certain types of language learning activities. and I suggest th a t you also have a look at the example letters on page 56 if you have tim e.7 • H ow to teach business English at a distance
language. so that the learner is aware that the teacher is ‘speaking’ directly to him or her about particular issues which need to be addressed. However. or perhaps speak on the telephone. so the teacher has very little to do. which are normally short written texts designed to provide the support normally provided by the teacher’s F2F instructions. There are more available on page 37 o f your coursebook. Such written feedback needs to be personalized in some way. so as to maintain a productive and trusting relationship. additional questions may need to be considered. such as:
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. Feedback is an area which needs particularly close attention in the context of distance learning. the learner is using self-study material and is effectively autonomous. and ask him fo r a long weekend o ff next m onth (you need it because you have promised your son th a t you w ill take him to a concert). T he contact also needs to be regular. T heir role can be to provide motivation. and as we shall see. W rite an email to your boss. But often feedback will simply consist of written comments on a particular piece of work. many writing and listening tasks. or focusing on vocabulary and grammar. as the following example illustrates:
This week's assignment involves w ritin g a persuasive letter.

H ow to Teach Business English

• • • • • • • • •

Can the learners do this activity on their own? Are there enough examples given? Are the rubrics (instructions for an activity) clear? W h at response am I expecting? Are there other possible answers? Is there an answer key? Are the answers in the key explained in any way? Is there a glossary (e.g. explaining terminology)? H ow will I manage my relationship with a learner who I never meet?

An example will help to make clear how these questions might apply in practice. Imagine the teacher would like to use a commercially available course package with a particular group of learners, and the course is to have distance elements in it. T he first point is to check whether or not the package comes with a workbook or a website; these are normally written for self-study work, and therefore ideal for distance learning. However, they can rarely be used on their own, because they normally consist of supplementary exercises, or practice activities designed to complement the student’s coursebook. It is also important to make sure that learners have access to their own copies of any audio or video recordings, and that the transcripts of these recordings are in the student’s book (some publishers only put these in the teacher’s book). Finally, the student’s book and workbook may both need to have the answers to all the activities in them, preferably with explanations. T he next stage in the materials selection process m ight be to look at the student’s book from the learner’s perspective, and without recourse to the teacher’s book. Questions to consider could include: Can the activities be done without the teacher, or without pair or group work? H ow might activities be adapted, or how might the learners be briefed, so that best use can be made of the material available? W hich activities will be left out, and how will they be replaced, if at all? W h at additional information or materials will the learners need? W ill it be possible for learners to meet at some point, or at least communicate by phone, in order to do some of the activities together? W ill the teacher need to speak to the learners before particular activities are done? So distance learning has very clear strengths and weaknesses. Because of this it does not normally replace F2F learning, but supplements it. This is known as blended learning, where one mode of learning (F2F), blends in with another mode (distance activities). It is the mixture o f the two that makes the total course so powerful. Properly managed, a blended learning solution may often be the most effective way for a business English learner to learn. T he F2F element may be occasional meetings with the teacher when the need arises, or it may involve pre-planned workshops where the whole class gets together to consolidate what has been learned, and to do those things which it is not possible to do at a distance.
Teaching by telephone

Traditional distance learning materials are paper-based, but another common medium which requires little or no technical expertise is the telephone. Using the telephone puts teachers and learners in direct contact,

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7 • H ow to teach business English at a distance

which is often the easiest way to solve a particular problem. This is particularly likely to be so in an in-company situation, where the teacher is often the first line of support for finding the right word, or clarifying a customer’s needs. Teachers and learners may use the telephone to discuss assignments, plans, or learning themes which are causing problems. But using the telephone is also an excellent way to create the interaction which is so necessary for effective language learning. Here are six activities, to give an idea of what is possible (basic instructions are given for each activity, but adaptations are possible): Taking messages on the telephone - warn your students that they will receive a phone call with a message for you, some time in the next few weeks. If necessary, go through recordings of suitable model calls. G et one of your native speaker colleagues to telephone your students and leave a message for you. Ideally, the conversation should be recorded. Give the learners a recording of the conversation (on audio tape or a digital medium). Ask them to transcribe it if they have time (transcribing is a very time-consuming business). Listen to the recording with the learners and discuss possible improvements, reformulating if necessary (this can be done with or without peers present). Repeat with a similar task one m onth later and compare the results. Checking and clarifying information - call your learner and dictate a text; this may include difficult words and numerical information, depending on the needs of the learner. Record the conversation. Ask the learner to send you a copy o f the text. Correct and return it with a copy of the recording. Listen to the recording with the learner and discuss possible reasons for any lack of accuracy. Focus on expressions for checking and clarifying information. Ask the learner to produce a checklist of useful expressions that could be used for checking and clarifying. Working with specific authentic documents - give the learner a document taken from the learner’s workplace. W arn them that you will call them with some questions in due course (questions may involve comprehension, or may reflect what possible customers or partners m ight ask). Call and ask questions about the document. Record the conversation. You (or the learner) transcribe the conversation and use the transcription as a basis for feedback. '% Social interaction on the telephone —call your learner and: • invite them to a party, or • ask their opinion about something, or • ask them for information, or • tell them that the class times have changed or been cancelled. You (or the learner) transcribe the conversation and use the transcription as a basis for feedback.

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H ow to Teach Business English

Telling stories and jokes - get the learner to listen to some recorded anecdotes or jokes (from the radio, the Internet, or recorded by you or a colleague). Ask them to call you with their own prepared anecdote or joke. Record them and use as a basis for feedback if necessary. jfl Role-playing customer phone calls - look at some types of letters (e.g. complaining letters) which may result in a phone call from a customer. Role-play such a phone call. You (or the learner) transcribe the conversation and use the transcription as a basis for feedback.

E-learning possibilities

E-learning refers to learning which takes place with the help of electronic media. The content is delivered electronically, rather than being paper-based or via a person. The electronic media can be C D -R O M (Compact Disc, Read Only Memory, which is a data storage device), the Internet, an intranet (a network of connected computers similar to the Internet, but used exclusively by a specific group of users, such as employees within a company), or software files of various types (electronic dictionaries, digital audio files, word-processed or spreadsheet documents, or whatever). These media are not exclusive to distance forms of learning, but this is where they are normally found. It is less usual for a group of business English learners to be sitting in a classroom working through C D -R O M activities on their laptops, than it is for them to be doing such an activity alone, away from the teacher. E-learning offers some advantages over more traditional paper-based materials, even when they are supplemented by audio and video tape. Firstly, e-learning is now fairly common in many companies; it has a professional and modern feel to it which is attractive to some managers, it uses technology which is normally already in place, and it can be designed to provide managers with feedback on what the learners are doing. In some companies language learning is just one of several training services offered online. M odern DVDs, C D -R O M s, and Internet connections offer increasingly high-quality video and sound as well as text; and some packages offer the facility for students to record their utterances and have the computer compare what they have said to a model. Access to the W eb allows teachers and learners to do a variety o f things; they can organize webcasts (broadcast audio or video, just like radio or TV, but delivered via the Internet), deliver materials, join discussion boards (which allow visitors to read or leave messages), participate in real-time text chat, or listen to and leave voicemail. Learning platforms (sometimes called e-learning platforms, or learning management systems) are software programs which are available on the Web and which allow teachers to design their own Internet-delivered material. In other words, they are interfaces which teachers can use to manage their e-learning delivery. This may involve the design of courses, delivery of content, controlling access rights for different users, class email discussion groups, text chat, evaluation of learner participation, tests, and so on. T he key advantage is that the teacher or school does not have to invest in the development of all the software, but simply buys a licence to use what they need. They can then develop a customized interface between themselves and the learners.

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7 • H ow to teach business English at a distance
Sometimes the teacher will want to put their own teaching content online without the use of a commercial learning platform. The p to the second n you com e out of g0 a|ong t(ie (6)
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. M r G lass. IVe got a(n) (1) v | w ith M r Fraser. T he learner is required to click on the correct answers. then click on "Check answer". Ill f?|
•. Here is an example of a worksheet produced in this way (which could be delivered via an Internet. a format that can be read by a web browser such as M icrosoft Explorer™ or Mozilla Firefox™ (remembering that it is not only online delivery that uses web browsers).????
v
tell him
you're here. T he other way is to use authoring software. such as those packages provided by Clarity or H o t Potatoes. Can I ask your name?
A: B:
It's G lass. M r G lass is here to (3) v : you. Such material needs to be written in a format which will download quickly. so on longer courses learners may get bored looking at the same type of thing. which allows the creation of activities like crosswords or ‘drag and drop’ exercises reasonably painlessly.
e-learning for business
[giving directions]
v l C i r
s ta rt e a a e Choose an e xe rcis e! T a lk in g ab o u t food • food vocabulary
giving d irections > in s id e
Choose the correct alternatives.
i ????? T a lk in g a b o u t w o rk • w ork vocabulary B: C o m m o n objects • nam es of objects • describing objects P ie s en tatio n s • introductions T e le p h o n in g • arrangem ents S o cia l English
•
O kay. One is to translate documents into html. (pause) O kay. M r Fraser. One limitation is that normally such packages have a set number of exercise types. as well as an easy-to-use menu system (on the left) which allows navigation to other worksheets. T he designer has included a cartoon to make the worksheet visually more exciting. There are two ways to do this.
C lick on a link below to listen to the conversation. here there is a choice between which software to use for the listening part. Real A udio W ind ow s Media
G iving directions • outside
• '‘isitte
A:
Good morning. or on C D -R O M ). and then listen to the dialogue to check.) Note that the materials may also need to give guidance as to how to obtain such software. and which offers the use of different choices of technology (for example. you can up. or intranet website.

org for a list of useful links for the business English teacher).besig. includes interactive activities based on a wide variety of up-to-date business issues.ac. for example. but some are free. which are unfamiliar to the learner. for example. A nother site. which means that users of those machines will not be able to access audio recordings. Yahoo™ etc) may take some time. It is designed to be used by native speakers learning about business. and many other useful features. www.they don’t get bored or frustrated when people can’t do something .uk (run by the University of Bristol). which means that the feedback they give is limited to what was programmed into them. and there are also issues of control which the teacher will need to consider. O f course. too. And sometimes the right technology is not available. and at least some of them may feel that the last thing they want to do is to learn English via computer as well.bized. It can take a lot of effort before everyone in a group is getting the best out o f an online learning forum. especially if it does not explain what your supposed mistake is. Some sites require payment. but it is a resource that can easily be accessed w ithout the teacher being present. a company facts section. and are unwilling or unable to use the technology without extensive support. Using a search engine (such as Google™. Almost every business topic is available for further scrutiny and possible exploitation. which is an extraordinarily rich resource for both teacher and learner.
General business information
Often the problem is not knowing where to start. Some learners (and teachers) are technophobes.com. all can easily be exploited by a teacher of business English.but they also lack intuition. O ther drawbacks include the fact that many business people spend most of their working time at a computer. exploiting the Internet is not limited to distance learning.
Using the Internet for business English learning and teaching
T he best aspect of e-learning for many is the Internet. This can be very frustrating if the computer keeps telling you your answer is wrong when you are sure it is actually right. but can easily be adapted to suit business English learners. or those o f competitors or partners). and it is almost always possible to find pages. even from their own company.
Specific company information
Business English learners are often more interested in specific company websites (their own. How do you draw the ‘quiet’learners into a discussion. in this case the user had simply typed the word ‘business’ into the search engine business. O n page 103 is an example of the results o f such a search. Large companies will have websites hundreds or even thousands of pages long. both in terms of ease of delivery and in terms of breadth of content (see www. There are several types of resources available. or how do you make sure that learners are doing the work themselves? Computers are patient .H ow to Teach Business English
E-learning can have its disadvantages or difficulties. some companies and some schools do not have sound cards installed in every computer. In-com pany teachers may also have full or
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. particularly if the user is inexperienced.

O f course. also offer similar potential. and why. A n advantage of using such websites is that they are kept up to date by their designers and so teachers don’t have to do this themselves. It shows an extract from an intermediate course designed to focus on typical language used on business trips. Read news items. as we can see from the menu. Access archives. Download articles on the same topic from different websites. O ther sites have different syllabus designs.co. with many sections of interest to English language learners).
News
There are many sources o f news on the Web. and find out more about a particular area or topic. So. the lesson is divided into six parts. such as newspapers. Again.H ow to Teach Business English
Download speeches made by members of the company’s management or directors. these can be done with or without the teacher being present. which offers a variety of courses catering for different levels and needs. For example.uk is a very extensive site. T he bottom of page 105 shows a screenshot from the BBC’s website (www.
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. or the latest political scandal. and report back to the class (in spoken or written form). Listen to reports from different parts of the world. and video to written text.bbc. and compare accents. including a glossary. ranging from audio (it is possible for learners with a good Internet connection to tune in to any radio station in the world). and examine the issues raised. Read press releases. O ften these need to be paid for. and compare different treatments of the same issue. the quality of the content offered may vary tremendously. learners may wish to understand more about a country or province because their company is considering doing business there. T he top of page 105 shows a screenshot from PEA K English (www. The discussions on course design and materials selection in Chapters 3 and 4 are pertinent here. which many learners find particularly useful.
Language learning resources
There are a number of different types of resources specifically designed for business English learners. T he lessons follow a syllabus design which assumes that languages are best learned by focusing on discrete language items first. T he website offers a number of features. Analyse what was and was not included.com). but some allow a preview. Traditional print media.peakenglish. T he large sites of major broadcasters like C N N or the BBC offer a huge variety of possibilities. and a window which allows the learner to watch a short video clip and understand the context of the language being presented. Here are some suggestions on how to exploit news sites. or even the latest sports results. Learners may also be interested in specific topics such as stock prices.

Prorr
1 [uncountable] work th a t you do to earn money: sfuctents se e kin g em ploym ent a fte r college.. you will find many sites protesting against Nike and calling for a boycott on Nike products. Now the brand has been extended to watches and many other products. * 1H ^
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Business World
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Language Update
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Company of the month: Nike
Read th e a rtic le b elo w on Nike.
si. | Are you in full-tim e em ploym ent? I in em ploym ent (=doing a job) 2 [uncountable] the situation or condition in which
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. selling footwear and later other items o f clothing. How does a company react to organised negative publicity? W hat would you do? W hat has Nike done?
Before you read on answer these questions:
W o rld w id e
1 W hat does Nike produce? 2 What do you associate with 3 Why do some people not lov>
' 3 em ploym ent e m p lo y m e n t
LONGMAN W e b Dicti. Most of these focus on the employment conditions in the factories where the footwear is made. but if you type the name into the search engine on your computer. ju s t double click o n a n y w ord and th e w eb d ic tio n a ry will g ive you a de finition. Nike. Nike's success suggests that everybody loves Nike. it has earned billions of dollars in the USA and around the world. American universities e achievements on the sports field. Since 1972.7 • H ow to teach business English at a distance
3
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There must be few people in the world who are not aware of the athletic footwear company. D on't fo rg e t.

Find a nice restaurant for Tuesday night. This is much more than just delivering content. I want to take my clients out for dinner.Book me a hotel.the teacher provides the learner(s) with the following introductory and task instructions. and then use them to achieve a particular goal. they tend to appeal to some types of learners more than others. I don’t care which airline it’s with.Book me a flight. as well as a list of useful sites. . My meetings are going to be in Kensington so try and find me a hotel there if you can. just try and find the cheapest flight available. . They can be done at different levels. so I need you to make all the arrangements for me. the web quest will also give background information and reasons for doing the task. I want to leave early next Tuesday morning and come back on Thursday evening. This might be supplemented by exercises designed to pre-teach some of the vocabulary A t the next level.H o w to Teach Business English
has clicked on the word employment and a pop-up window (see bottom right) has provided a definition.Book me 4 tickets for a show on Wednesday night. thanks Frank
< > i
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. A West End musical would be perfect. Please tell me something about the restaurant you book. . A t the top of page 107 is an example of online supplementary material for some of the O U P range of business English titles (from www. This is an ideal way for teachers to vary the materials used with their learners.com). and list of website resources. Let me know what the show’s about. or those who may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information on the Web). which can be adapted for different learners. Can you do the following things for me: . I’ve just found out that I have to go to London next week on a business trip. • Introduction You have received the following email from your new American boss:
Hi.
W eb quests
Another way business English teachers take advantage of the Web is to use web quests. like all materials. Here are some examples of web quests.oup. Don’t pay more than 80 pounds a night. learners play an active role in finding and evaluating websites. Some publishers give online support to a coursebook that a teacher may be using with a particular group. a web quest might ask a series of questions and point learners to a useful website where they can find the answers (sometimes this is called a ‘treasure h unt’). A t the simplest level (for low-level learners. Let me know the arrangements once you’ve made them. Business trip web quest . which are activities designed to get learners looking for information and answering questions by using the resources on the Internet. Something in or near Kensington would be ideal.

and prepare a ten-m inute presentation fo r your colleagues.oneclicktravel.
As you know. such as a presentation.co. your company has just won an order to manufacture components fo r a new hydro-electric power station in Peru (100 km south o f Lima).buzzaway. Student 2: Prepare a ten-m inute briefing on the current political situation in Peru. the learners may be asked to do some research. The following activity illustrates how this m ight work in practice.uk/ http://www.com/london/ What’ s on in London http://www. and then follow
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.com) to find other websites. Student 1: Find out how hydro-electric pow er stations w ork.uk/ http://www.com/ http://onlinetravelers.google. (Web quest written by David Smith) Project trip web quest .7 • H ow to teach business English at a distance
• Task Use the resources below (or other ones) to do the things your boss asked for (but don’t really book the flight etc!).co. you and your fe llo w students have been chosen to form part o f the project team.at the next level.london-eating.asp Finding a hotel http://www.com/html/scheduled.timeout.uk/ Remember you can use Google™ (http://www. Prepare a 4-day sightseeing itinerary.co.
Finally.a-london-guide. This task is designed to help you gain some o f the background knowledge you w ill need.com/london-hotels.html London restaurant guides http://www.london-restaurants.com/london/ http://www. They may also need to analyse and use the information to do something specific with it. For example. Then write your boss an email telling him what you have arranged. Because o f your competence at speaking English.hotelsoflondon. Student 3: You w ill no dou bt have some tim e o ff when you visit Peru. and then persuade your colleagues th a t your plan is w h a t they w ill w an t to do. a web quest can easily be integrated into a case study or simulation. • Resources Booking aflight http://www. learners may be given less overt guidance.

employees were assigned to various groups for learning. engineering etc).
E-learning in practice
Here are six instances of how e-learning methods and technologies have been used in practice. T he teacher decided to divide the group into small groups (3 or 4 students in each) according to language level.
Web-based research projects in small groups
A university course included the need for learners to obtain credits in business English. each group was assigned a term project. to comprehension exercises involving both spoken and written texts. Unfortunately. This decision can then be put in writing as part of a report for the chief executive. T he project involved the group working independently to carry out web-based research on topics from different specialized fields. they are included here to give an idea of the sort of things that are possible. T he learners were given placement tests and divided into groups. Web quests are probably one of the most effective ways of replicating real-life work in a distance learning context. O ther typical ‘real life’activities might include requiring learners to integrate information into a spreadsheet. producing written recommendations. and how long it had taken.
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. and classes were large (40+). T he software provided the teacher with a record of what each learner had done. Learners were given access via their company intranet to a learning platform which offered them a number of modules at different levels. and to start a training programme which would bring everyone up to speed. business studies. Although not all are examples of distance learning per se. learners came from a large number of different specializations (law. F2F learning was supplemented by the creation o f a self-access resource centre containing PCs with Internet access. Based on the results. T he company decided to carry out an online computer-based testing programme because it was deemed faster and cheaper than face-to-face oral testing. and a library of DV D films.
Modules and electronic records via an intranet learning platform
A manufacturing company in Europe wanted to improve the standard of English within the company. Each group was assigned a teacher who met them once a month. before a final decision is made.
Online testing and self-directed access to resources
A n Eastern European company had just been taken over by a US corporation. This allowed the teacher to recommend specific modules for different learners. These modules were supplemented by purpose-written materials based on authentic documents provided by the company. culminating in one coherent F2F presentation from each group. according to their needs. ranging from vocabulary and grammar exercises. economics. T he management needed to find out the standard of English within the company as fast as possible.H o w to Teach Business English
this up with a meeting where information is shared and evaluated. a collection of C D -R O M s. preparing PowerPoint™ presentations. T he new company language was to be English. and so on.

)
The class website
T he teacher asked one of the learners in the group to create a class website. whereas videoconferencing normally entails going to a purpose-built room complete with cameras and other special equipment. (Note that web conferencing allows people to interact via their own PCs. useful links. The next chapter focuses on this key area o f communicative competence.
W eb conferencing
A trainer at a manufacturing plant found that. • examined the use o f the telephone in a distance learning context. noun + verb patterns) and compare to their own work. including d iffe re n t methods of delivering materials such as CD-ROMs. depending on the teaching context. attendance was low. and was described as particularly motivating by the learners in their end-ofcourse feedback sheets. T he solution was to invest in web conferencing software (an example of such software is CUseeMe) which allowed the whole class to meet and interact online. and th a t materials may need to be designed to give the support normally provided by the teacher. particularly by exploiting websites and creating web quests. lists of likes and dislikes. and looked at a number o f sample activities. learning platforms. • looked at a number o f ways o f utilizing the Internet. and examples of written work. typical collocations. • established th a t e-learning is potentially the most effective way of distance learning w ith in a business English teaching context. T he teacher added additional worksheets and revision material. and authoring software. and looked at practical ways to do this. 111
Looking ahead
. because of widely dispersed office locations. This developed into a project which everyone in the class contributed to.
Conclusions
In this chapter we have: • noted th a t there are various advantages and disadvantages to distance learning. The website created much discussion both inside and outside the classroom. She then used the corpus she had created to produce examples of real language which the learners could analyse for patterns (for example. learners often took 20 minutes to get to class. She obtained copies of relevant reports which had been written in the last five years. and offers a num ber o f suggestions fo r dealing w ith it in a business English classroom. • reviewed six instances o f situations where e-learning was used. and scanned them into lexical analysis software (Oxford Wordsmith Tools is one example).7 • H ow to teach business English at a distance
Using electronic tools to analyse real language
A n in-company trainer decided that report-writing skills within her company needed improvement. We saw in Chapter 1 th a t every tim e a business English learner uses English he or she does so in an intercultural context. with photos.

and appreciate that the way they do things is not necessarily the only way.w to include rcu ltu ral tra in in g
W hat is intercultural training? Using cultural dimensions Understanding our ow n culture • • What is intercultural training? Increasing awareness Using critical incidents
Intercultural training is about helping people to interact successfully with people from other cultures. After all. encourages learners to understand what culture is. It is not about learning to deal with specific countries. I see the face and the eyes and the mouth But not the soul behind. gain awareness of how their own culture works. It includes teaching appropriate language use for different contexts. So in some teaching situations experts are brought in to complement what the language teacher is doing. and should leave such issues to people who have formally studied intercultural communication. which we could call the dealing with diversity or culture-general approach. it is up to the language teacher to deliver such training. There are two ways of thinking about what intercultural training is and what it can achieve.
From The Stranger b y Rudyard Kipling
There are different opinions on how the avoidance of intercultural misunderstanding is best addressed in the business English classroom. every time one of our learners uses English it is likely to be with someone from a different culture. The first. be it a different national culture or a culturally different organization. Such training should help people to avoid the kind of situation that Rudyard Kipling so compellingly describes: The Stranger within my gate He m ay be tru e or kind. Others argue that the two cannot be separated. and also develops learners’ understanding of the role that culture plays in communication. but about
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. look at the pros and cons of stereotyping. T he idea is to break down prejudices. and that business English teaching and intercultural training are two sides of the same coin. According to this view. But he does not talk my talk I cannot feel his mind. and to recognize that other people have points of view that are as valid as our own. Some argue that business English teachers are prim arily language specialists.

and need to have some understanding about how a specific culture works. say two months into a foreign assignment. which can at times overlap. things need to be communicated much more explicitly .8 • H ow to include intercultural training
how to deal with people who may have different ways of doing things. T he rest of this chapter focuses on different perspectives and activities which the business English teacher might find useful with particular groups. value long-term relationships.people often appear direct and
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. This means that they do not need to explain things explicitly which are readily available from the situation. it is helpful to have an awareness of the main dimensions of cultural comparison that are commonly used in the literature on intercultural training. and what behaviour is or is not acceptable. it depends on the needs of the learners. and ultimately to create value out of that diversity. or has first-hand experience of that culture. Sometimes learners will only need to deal with one or two cultures. T he second approach focuses on preparing people to work with specific cultures or in specific contexts. T he danger of this approach is that it can be somewhat superficial. although it must always be remembered that other cultures may see these attributes quite differently. This is especially so if the teacher comes from the country in question. or from the environment. Researchers and cultural commentators have identified different dimensions as a method of analysing and describing what is happening. W hen planning intercultural training. The particular discussion formats and activities that teachers may choose to employ will depend on the group of learners and what they are trying to achieve. The aim is to provide learners with strategies that they can use to cope with diversity. This is typical for expatriates who are posted abroad for a period of time. and work with spoken rather than written agreements. general or specific. In low-context cultures. Nevertheless. Such culture-specific training often includes elements of culture-general training discussed above. may be particularly beneficial. provided that learners appreciate the limitations of simple (often simplistic) ‘dos and don’ts’ lists. such training can serve as a useful first step. with follow-up training. Named dimensions are very useful for the business English teacher because they help to generate useful discussion and debate about relevant issues. with learners being lulled into a false sense of security. Repatriation training may also be necessary at the end o f an assignment in order to ease the move back into one’s own culture. members use the context itself as a means of communication. Different researchers have arrived at a range of dimensions. Dimensions are perspectives which allow us to measure and compare certain attributes of different cultures. Providing training before departure. here is a brief summary (see the chapter notes for more detailed references): • H igh context versus low context —in a high-context culture. O ften they use non-verbal behaviour. this is often called culture-specific training. W here does this leave the business English teacher? As ever.
Using cultural dimensions
There are many ways for our learners to understand the nature of culture.

and those
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. for example. with one event following another. In certain societies. to discuss issues. In a more collectivist society. I f there is low tolerance of uncertainty. adhered to once signed. of course. Subordinates are likely to do what they are told. are able to manage different activities at once. whereas the low-context host might expect an explicit statement of tiredness before making the same offer. • Uncertainty avoidance . indeed. and emphasis placed on work goals and assertiveness.in masculine cultures. In a high-power distance culture the opposite happens. to stand up for his or her rights. T he high-context host m ight suggest that the visitor takes time to rest and recuperate. O r imagine a situation where a visitor has arrived after a long journey. Outsiders may find it relatively easy to become a member of the group. people value job security and clear rules and regulations. flexibility is paramount. Feminine cultures see personal goals. and relationship building as more valuable.this dimension highlights differences between cultures that see short-term benefits as im portant (consider. human contact. After all. T he person from the polychronic culture m ight spend the meeting doing various things like making phone calls.in monochronic cultures. the individual’s willingness to have different opinions. achievement is often measured in terms of power and wealth.this refers to the distance or equality between individuals in a hierarchy (if. that is the point of a written agreement. In a low-power distance culture people find it easy to approach their leaders. • Power distance . which are. Managers are likely to consult subordinates. After all. For the highcontext business manager. one after the other. the contract may be seen as more of a guideline. and there is little discussion. there is one). • M asculinity versus femininity . and so on. talking to different people.this dimension reflects how different cultures approach ambiguity and uncertainty. the way some company strategies focus on short-term profits). conformity and loyalty are rated more highly. in sequence. is prized.H ow to Teach Business English
dislike ambiguity. time is seen as linear. • Individualism versus collectivism . This m ight influence the way a meeting is run. for example. T he monochronic person would feel more comfortable dealing with the matters at hand.some cultures see individualism and competition as im portant attributes. and even to criticize them. on the other hand. for example. M embers of polychronic cultures. • T im e . T he business manager from a low-context culture will value long. to react against authority. to be used for further discussion if need be. detailed contracts. • Long-term orientation . for example.

W e can say.
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. that in Japan. volume.the universalist says that rules and regulations are there to be followed. in a universalist culture he or she would probably lose their job. The particularist would argue that it depends on the situation and people involved. conversationalists may feel more comfortable with a short pause between utterances. Here we can look at body language (kinesics). whereas others see themselves as part of the environment. So a more neutral culture would pride itself on staying calm and in control in the face o f chaos and confusion. T he ‘at-work’ relationship is different from the ‘at-play’ one. I f we look at speaking. • Universalism versus particularism . eye movement and contact (occulistics).some cultures believe that the environment can be controlled. Researchers have looked at other dimensions too. and business can be done at any time or place. on the other hand. after all. T he diagrams on page 116 illustrate typical differences. for example. while in some East Asian cultures. and speed of talking) can also be quite different between cultures. In a particularist culture the fact that the person was stealing to pay for a child’s education might be seen as an excuse for the behaviour. • Specific versus diffuse . for example. how Anglo-Saxon speakers tend to wait until the other person has finished speaking before contributing to the conversation.different cultures accord status in different ways. Note. paralanguage (the way we vary tone. • Status . the relationship is always there.8 • H ow to include intercultural training
that feel that time spent developing longer-lasting relationships brings greater benefit. the relationship between the manager and the subordinate depends on the situation where the relationship is taking place. T he following example is somewhat simplistic. T he way different cultures use non-verbal communication is particularly interesting. This might influence the way people accept technology. or are they simply a reflection of what is already happening?). simplistically. touch (haptics). or how they work with plans (can business plans really influence what happens in the market place. but m ight help to clarify the concept. In diffuse cultures. for example.in specific-oriented cultures. age is treated with respect whereas in the US achievement is regarded as more important. and body distance (proxemics). So can turn taking. In a spoken interaction in Latin cultures. part of hum an nature. whereas a more emotional culture might give vent to feelings which are. • Neutral versus emotional . pitch.this dimension looks at how people show emotions in various situations. utterances tend to overlap. • Relationship with nature . I f a cashier is caught stealing from the till.

Ethnocentricity refers to the judging of another culture using one’s own standards and beliefs. a discussion of English expressions involving time can be used to focus on how different cultures view time. Is it possible to have a level playing field} H ow can we take the ball and run with it ? The English language provides a rich source of metaphorical language which is wonderful to exploit in an intercultural training context. and write them down as pairs of terms representing a continuum (e. Learners decide where their own and another culture go on the continuum. W h a t does it mean to waste time? How can a person run out o f time? H ow is it possible to save time? (We can note here that in some English-speaking cultures.H ow to Teach Business English
Styles of verbal communication
Tone of voice
Anglo-Saxon
A
—
Anglo-Saxon
M/viA7 1 —
O nental A
From Riding the Waves o f Culture by Trompenaars
So how can teachers explore these dimensions with their students in the classroom? Here are some ideas on how to prom pt discussion about various aspects of different cultures: Learners study a series of advertisements from their own and other countries (taken from the TV.
Understanding our own culture
We often judge other cultures by the way they differ from our own way of doing things. Learners look at the way different news agencies (ideally from different countries) report the same item of news. good interculturalists. high context to low context). Examine how different cultures use metaphors in different ways (a good way of combining linguistic input with intercultural training). magazines. and can discuss reasons why they think this. Learners compare CVs (or tips on writing CVs) from different countries. ’ •' Elicit anecdotes about meetings with people from other cultures. For example. Bring in examples of email correspondence from different countries or companies. the Internet etc). Discuss the differences in approach.g. Discuss how ‘they’ do things.) O r teachers can focus on sports metaphors. of course. teachers can try the following: Select four or five of the dimensions mentioned above. time is seen as a valuable resource or commodity. radio. W ith more experienced groups. try not to
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. like money.

8 • H ow to include intercultural training
do this. An Anglo-Saxon perspective may be to view projects as a plan for the future. Similar arguments could be made for almost all communicative situations in the business world. and deadlines (note the tacit implications of these three metaphors). or comes up with more appropriate responses to contingencies. will this not inevitably colour the way we perceive and analyse? A n example of this is to compare the ways in which different cultures handle projects. milestones. Positive: Negative: Now look at the other national cultures represented in the room. with clear aims. To do this. If intercultural training is about equipping people to cope with differences in a business context. H ow do people interrupt during meetings (if they do at all)? W h at are acceptable topics of conversation on social occasions? Is it appropriate to see a job interview as a situation where both sides are equal partners. for example. and that therefore complete neutrality is not possible. Yet the project m ight still succeed because that culture has a more holistic view and takes better account of stakeholders. This can be difficult. W h at goes down well as a presentation in one culture m ight be profoundly irritating in another. may be flexible. this might help learners to become less ethnocentric.individual objectives. different cultures may use different stereotypes
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. A culture which views time differently may deal with projects in other ways . then one way to do this is by raising awareness of these differences. A possible questionnaire could look something like this: How do people from other cultures see your culture? Write down three positive and three negative characteristics. which refers to the idea that we see everything in terms of our own culture. Yet this perception is coloured by the fact that Anglo-Saxons (in general) tend to see time as a linear concept. or has one side higher status? T he list goes on. but vital for rapport building in another. Secondly. is it even possible to analyse objectively our culture from our own. we have first to understand how we do business ourselves. T he use of humour during im portant meetings might be interpreted as a lack of seriousness in some cultures. Can you list stereotypes for these cultures? Country: Positive: Negative:
W h at should be clear from the follow-up discussion (which may need sensitive facilitation) is that we see ourselves differently from how others see us. depending on factors seen as outside the control of the project managers. internal perspective? After all. H ow can we help our learners to understand their own culture? Here are some ways: W ith a group containing people from different national cultures — ask students to list stereotypes about their own country. This is related to cultural relativism . with one event following another.

the aim being to produce a guide for foreign visitors. and traditions are also important. regions.
Follow-up . W ith a group containing people from different organizations . holidays. it is not the only influence. Variation . differences in perception. and dismissal etc. dimensions of culture. Some groups may also like to think about how an official’ guide issued by senior management m ight differ from an ‘informal’ guide produced by junior staff or shop-floor workers (this may reveal sub-cultures. Typical of these m ethods are role-plays and simulations where emotions and
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. I f learners have access to a company intranet.
Increasing awareness
So far we have considered culture as a concept. The Internet is a particularly useful tool for these sorts of activities. and these are more affective or experiential in the way they work. But there are other ways to make learners more aware of culture. union representation. so much the better.H ow to Teach Business English
to describe other groups: cultures A and B may see culture C in very different ways. in that they encourage learners to increase their knowledge of culture as a subject. Such activities are largely cognitive. how criticism and complaints are treated.ask learners to list tips on how to do business in a foreign country they know or may have visited. and various activities that can be used to make learners think more deeply about their own culture. pay. M W ith a group from one company . recruitm ent.ask the group to prepare a guide for workers new to the company They may need some prompts:
W hat is it like to w ork in this company? Give inform ation about workers' rights. such as: • who has authority to sign certain contracts? • what quality procedures are used? • what constitutes acceptable business dress? • how long do people stay at work? I f the group members come from different industries. and on the Internet). They should soon see that.compare this guide to that of other companies. This can be followed up by examining such a guide (typical guides are normally available in airport bookshops. although a national boundary has some influence on how people behave. w orking conditions. and contradictions between theory and practice). because it is often possible to find out quite a lot about a corporate culture via a company’s website. religions. hierarchy. T hen ask them to produce a similar list for their own country.ask people to list the normal way o f doing certain things in their organization. so much the better. T he result will be a discussion about how and why certain things are done in the way they are done. O ther factors such as individual characters.

you have to fo llo w some cultural rules. or new products. such as recent events.for example.
Person B Have a conversation w ith your partner. and give each of them one of the following role-cards to read (note that you can change the ‘rules’ to suit the group . Do not answer if there is no smile. Always agree w ith anything someone o f the opposite sex says. If someone asks you a question w ith a smile. W h at normally happens is that Person A finds the ‘silences’ uncomfortable.tell each pair of learners that they are to have a conversation with each other in English. However. It is your job to make sure th a t the conversation goes on fo r at least five minutes.do not leave any pauses in the conversation. such as recent events. It can be about anything which is relevant to your workplace. you must always leave at least a five second pause before you speak. or new products. it keeps them happy. However.
This activity is designed to make learners more aware of how turntaking in conversations takes place. Here are some examples: T u rn -tak in g (pair work) .8 • H ow to include intercultural training
interpersonal skills are brought into play. or whatever).ask two people to leave the room. you may answer. D uring the debrief afterwards the teacher should lead the discussion around to why there was a feeling of discomfort during the activity (if the learners come from a culture where such silences are normal. This shows respect fo r your partner. O f course. It can be about anything which is relevant to your workplace. You should n o t ask any questions yourself. especially where cultural (or even personal) sensitivities are concerned. they can be extremely useful. and may want to fill them with more conversation (which may make it difficult for Person B to get a chance to speak). C ulture shock (4-6 learners) . or brown shoes. plans fo r reorganization. Nevertheless.
Person A You are going to meet some foreign business people fo r th e first tim e. they should answer only people wearing glasses. Each learner gets one of the following cards:
Person A Have a conversation w ith your partner. T he activity will last about five minutes.’).
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. teachers should be aware that such activities may not be appropriate with some groups. plans fo r reorganization. because it means the questioner is very rude. ‘You must always speak immediately after your partner has finished . then it is an easy m atter to change Person B’s card to say. or ties.

Each learner gets a role card which asks him or her to behave in a certain way. you have to fo llo w some cultural rules. Do not answer if there is no smile. You come from a culture where it is normal to place your hand on people's shoulders when you ta lk to them. You come from a culture where it is normal fo r you to hold someone's hand when you ta lk to them . The value of the activity is enriched by getting both sides to discuss how they felt and what they thought was happening. Your boss wants you to try and fin d o u t as much as possible. You come from a culture where it is normal to examine people's ears w hile you ta lk to them . Saying 'N o' is very im polite.
T he rest of the group get this one:
You are going to meet some foreign business people fo r the first tim e. You come from a culture where it is normal to move around when you speak to other people. T he setting should be something relevant to your group. depending on the group):
• • • • • • • • • • You come from a culture where it is rude to look someone in the eye.H ow to Teach Business English
Person B You are going to meet some foreign business people fo r the first tim e. although you have been to ld th a t they speak some English.brief the learners that they are going to take part in a simulation to practise small talk. a product launch. such as a trade fair reception. You should not ask any questions yourself. You come from a culture where you answer 'Yes' if you th in k the person wants you to agree w ith them .
W h at happens is that the group goes through some culture shock. However. and that they do not know what those rules are. You have no idea where they come from or w ha t they do. you may answer. as follows (you may wish to change some of these. If someone asks you a question w ith a smile. Cultural rules (6+ learners) . it keeps them happy. You come from a culture where it is normal to speak very quietly. because it means the questioner is very rude. or a conference opening ceremony. You come from a culture where it is normal to keep a distance o f about 25 cm between people when you ta lk to them .
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. Always agree w ith anything someone o f the same sex says. You come from a culture where it is normal to speak very loudly. as they realize that the others are operating to different rules. You come from a culture where it is normal to keep at least an arm's length between people.

one of the aspects o f negotiations is to discuss how different cultures might approach them. Intercultural trainers therefore use case studies or critical incidents in order to present learners with a problem that needs to be solved. and give each group a set of rules for a game you have devised (it could be based on cards. Rules o f the game . or a chess set.another (similar) activity is to split a large group into small groups around tables. After a few minutes of playing time. T he feedback should point out that no specific real cultures were deliberately depicted. part of the feedback could also be related to their language use. they can usually discuss the issues objectively. T he learners study the rules. for example:
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. or whatever you have available). Learners need to be able to cope with the differences. Thus if the topic is negotiations. This activity is great fun. Here are some examples. Critical incidents focus on differences from a practical rather than theoretical perspective. or find that there is no perfect solution. W h at happens is that they follow each other around the room! D uring the ensuing discussion learners inevitably try to recognize actual national cultures. O f course. but this is a reflection of the real world rather than a failure of the method. Because they are not personally involved in the situation. Feedback on any business English activity can and should include intercultural aspects if it is appropriate. One way to do this is to move to the target culture and live within it. They will assume that the people are playing to the same set of rules .clearly there is an intercultural aspect here. A key part of presentations training is to make sure that the presenter is doing something appropriate for his or her audience . sometimes learners do not find a solution. depending on the needs of the group. and that the fact that they made such assumptions shows how our own perceptions and prejudices influence what we do and how we think. Finally. O f course. or Ludo™. However. this is not always practical. and to do this they need practice. Even the way people answer the phone is influenced to a greater or lesser degree by intercultural factors.but each group has its own. to join another group and carry on playing.
Using critical incidents
Building awareness of cultural differences is not enough. another way to increase awareness is to use culture as a backdrop for all the other aspects of communication skills training. slightly different set.8 • H ow to include intercultural training
If the group is large enough you could ask learners to find someone from their own culture. and decide upon a course of action. especially when the culture that likes to keep a distance meets the culture that wants to stay close. Playing the game to unknown rules leads to another intercultural experience. after which no more talking is allowed. which may be used in pair or group discussion work. ask people from different tables to swap.

However. such a demand would be considered corrupt. She knows th at th is is norm al in Southern Europe. He has done the trip m any times. One has even put his arm s around her. b ut n ev erth eless feels uncomfortable with the situation. What should she do?
Critical Incident 3
Harold Swanson has to take some product samples to another country. here her male colleagues often touch her arm or hands during conversation. Meetings in his new country seem to be used as a way for the departm ent head to issue instructions and to explain w hat is to happen. increase th e ir awareness o f cultural differences. but this time he is stopped at the border by a customs officer. In the final chapter we look at how business English tra in ing can be evaluated.H ow to Teach Business English
Critical Incident 1
Joe Williams is an engineer who is sent by his company to work in a subsidiary abroad. Then Joe is promoted to head of departm ent. and analyse critical incidents. What should he do?
Conclusions
In this chapter we have: • seen th a t intercultural tra in ing can be an integral part o f the business English teacher's job because business English learners w ill use the language to communicate in an intercultural setting. How should he ru n meetings in future?
Critical Incident Z
Ju lia Chee has recently moved from South East Asia to a company in Southern Europe. indeed Harold is used to paying around $50 for the privilege. • noted th a t culture can be analysed using a number o f d iffe re n t dimensions. ra th e r th an as a place to brainstorm and gather ideas as a team . She finds th at unlike in her previous company. but here it is quite norm al for governm ent employees to supplem ent th eir income in this way. who insists th a t he pays $200 for perm ission to enter the country. this time Harold feels th at $200 is too much. which is w hat he is used to. There he finds th at meetings are very different from w hat he is used to.
Looking ahead
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. In Harold’s country. • seen th a t we can improve our learners' intercultural competence by using various activities to facilitate understanding o f th e ir own culture.

is the learning work-relevant? Are the learners using their new skills? The focus is on the learner and the workplace. O ther questions to ask about evaluation include: Who will do it? When will it be done? What w ill be evaluated? and How will it be done? H ow these questions are answered will depend on the situation. in-company course will differ from evaluating a university course that runs ten times a year. and making judgements. or learners’ language skills may be assessed to see if they are ready for an exam.has the teaching resulted in any business impact? Are the participants more successful in their negotiations. so the first question to ask is whether it is worth doing. This model is built on five levels of evaluation. and so on. • Level 1 involves the learners’ reaction to the teaching . Here the focus is on the learner. and all within a context of specific purposes and goals. • Level 3 has to do with the transfer of what has been learned to the workplace . or if the teaching methods that they used need improving. Placement tests involve evaluation.g. as does making decisions about materials. discussed earlier. they may want to check if the teaching objectives have been met. is a form of evaluation. relative to its cost?
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.what was actually learned? Typically this involves a pre-test and a post-test. collecting relevant information. the materials.g. • Level 2 relates to the learning .were they satisfied? The focus here is on the course itself and its delivery: the teacher. Evaluating a one-off. • Level 4 is concerned with results . A sponsoring company may wish to evaluate a course that is on the market. monetary) and intangible (e. For example. for example? Have their telephone skills improved? • Level 5 looks at the return on investment (ROI) . all interrelated. A needs analysis.what (and how much) tangible (e. There are other types of questions that teachers may need answers to. Answering such questions can take up a lot of time and effort. One model of evaluation commonly found in business English training (particularly in-company) is based on Kirkpatrick’s work in the 1960s. employee motivation) benefit has the training led to.Evaluation Testing learners Evaluating using feedback and observation The reflective practitioner • Evaluation The customer's perspective
Evaluation is of critical importance in supporting and shaping how teaching is done. It involves asking questions.

an end-of-course questionnaire might ask participants to comment on the quality of the hotel used to run the course . Progress or end-of-course tests (also
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. but the term assessment is also used to refer to a process which happens informally. using such data. it is better to use two or more different assessment tools. and forms a basis for change and future action. or how effective. continuously. A typical method is the use of tests. referring to the quality. type.g. whereas assessment is as likely to be expressed in qualitative terms. or efficient the course was at achieving those objectives. or learning strategies used by the participants. but more subjective in nature). aimed at measuring and judging skills or knowledge. Using different perspectives to assess the same thing in this way is called triangulation in a research context. Examples of qualitative data include the notes made during interviews. D ata can be quantitative.H ow to Teach Business English
Another way to look at evaluation is to use categories. we might test the participants using a series of role-plays. if we wanted to know how effective a course on telephone skills has been. is known as assessment. Both types of data are common within a business English teaching context. at a specific time and place. For example. Testing typically gives results that are expressed quantitatively. as follows: • Summative evaluation is carried out at a pre-specified stage in a course (such as the end). since this may give unreliable results. • Formative evaluation looks at what was good and not so good on a particular course. In other words. and 360 degree assessment in the business world. Placement and diagnostic tests have already been described in Chapter 2. the results from many tests. and looks at whether or not the course objectives have been achieved. and record some ‘real life’ conversations to see how they cope. classroom observation. but there are also other types of test. the aim is to make improvements. we not only have to collect and measure data in some systematic way. but we also have to analyse and interpret the results so that a judgm ent can be made. if they can be expressed by a numerical value (e. or qualitative. To provide answers to these questions. or depth of whatever is being evaluated (such data are often richer.adverse comments may result in the next course being run in a different hotel. and repeatedly: the teacher assesses learners in every lesson. interview them to see how they feel about their telephone skills. T he process of measuring. • Illuminative evaluation is designed to help us understand the teaching and learning processes within the course .typically this will look at issues like classroom interaction. and it provides a snapshot of where people are. with respect to their learning or skill development. and case studies (such as verbal descriptions of how a particular learner has progressed through a course).
Testing learners
Testing is probably the most common way o f checking whether participants on a course have reached a certain standard. It is im portant not to use only one measure. checklists. or surveys). Testing and assessment can be formal procedures. For example. This judgm ent may then lead to innovation or other change of some kind.

they are an integral part of learning.did the seller close the deal satisfactorily? In real commercial life.e. do the speaker’s hesitations and repetitions sound natural? • Complexity . In the above negotiation. We have standard model o f lamps and we have a new model erm developed erm er fo r a half year ago.g. tests should not be seen as separate from the learning process. as already discussed. W e have said that another common business English speaking skill is giving presentations (see page 69). is the language lexically rich enough.e. The .g.g. It is because of this that a test of a person’s communicative competence should ideally be more than a reading and writing test (nor should it rely on transcripts of speech). transcripts only give part of the picture. or is it too simplistic? • Accuracy . and are linked to specific courses.other participants in the role-play have introduced themselves. business English competence is not only about language.. are words and utterances correctly stressed and pronounced? Here is a transcript of what one learner says in a negotiation role-play. Continuous assessment refers to regular checks and tests which build up to give a cumulative picture. nothing else matters. such as: • Flueney .9 • Evaluating and assessing
called achievement tests) are designed to ascertain whether objectives have been met. Incidentally. for example. O ften mastery of the language is intertwined with other skills. In addition. This new model is a little b it more expensive but it's more energy efficien t and erm erm the lamps the life o f the lamps is longer you have a great guarantee package.
We are here to erm ta lk about new lamps fo r your factory and erm I w anted to know w ha t your requirements requirements in your company. evaluation m ight also take account of the outcome of the negotiation . and now the ‘seller’ is giving some information about his product. We have erm tw o solutions erm fo r you.e. although some testing organizations argue that there is some positive correlation between spoken communicative ability and ability in reading and writing. since all tests recycle language. and we have already seen that a good presenter needs to be able to do other things besides simply produce
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..g. does the speaker make grammatical mistakes? • Intelligibility .(can the speaker be understood?) e. You have no er you have fo u r year guarantee in the new model er tw o years guarantee in the standard model and erm yes the price model is th a t you have to pay fo r the standard solution 200 Euro and fo r the new model 300 Euro.
It will be clear from this example that it is hard to judge speaking ability without actually listening to the speaker. we are normally interested in certain criteria.
Testing business speaking skills
W hen we test business speaking skills. Pound! (laughs ) And erm we are certified er DIN ISO 9000 our our the w hole company and erm our lamps are er you fin d our lamps w orld w ide in America in South .

Sometimes monotonous Looked relaxed
Body language . and the teacher did not fu lly understand w ha t was being presented. T he following true story shows what can happen when the criteria are not agreed in advance. It is critical in the choice of criteria that the task designer understands how the language is to be used in the target situation from the perspective of the test taker and the people he or she is to deal with. humour. He to o k his laptop. T he following simple checklist can be used by anyone in the group to evaluate a presentation.
tone.
interaction with audience.accuracy.
m annerism s. rather than numbers). advertising Content sometimes too simple (e.clear aim /m essage. slide 7). logical sequence.H ow to Teach Business English
language.intonation. quality of slides. Unfortunately.
Such evaluation sheets are typical of task-based assessments (see page 21) which. handouts
/
Delivery . as much as on the language.use of laptop. but w hether or not the customer w ould be able to. these presentations were technical and complex. The focus is on the performance of the task. style
/
Good eye contact Handled questions well.
Structure .
A manager was sent on a residential course in order to prepare fo r a series o f im p orta nt meetings w ith customers. And jargon was not the issue!
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. as we have seen.dress. to ge th er w ith his prepared PowerPoint™ presentations.
flipchart.
Name:
Lip Seng
Topic:
++ +
New product developments 0
Date:
9/10
-
—
Comments
Nice simple slides
Aids . pitch. He criticized the manager fo r using to o much jargon. are designed to reflect real-life situations. simplicity
Pronunciation problems with acquisition.eye contact. G-ood summary. timing
Rapport . The teacher had ignored the fact th a t w ha t was im p orta nt to the learner was not w hether the teacher could understand the presentations.g. Performance of the task should be assessed using criteria which are worked out beforehand. gestures
Language . fluency. OHP. and intended to use the o pp ortu nity to practice his 'real' presentations in a safe environm ent. and gives an idea of the wide range of criteria which need to be considered (note that the measurement scale is based on pluses and minuses. volume
/ / / /
Not loud enough.
relevant content.
appropriacy.

also tests speaking and writing. such as reading and listening. do not have a pass/fail threshold. There is an example table from the T O E IC can-do guide at the bottom of page 128. availability of components. Nevertheless. the sales director in an engineering firm needs to know her field. there are potential pitfalls with using tasks as a basis for language assessment. accurately reflects a real-life situation. like BEC. How skilful is the other party in the negotiation? H ow open is the task to relatively uncontrollable issues such as problems w ith price. Secondly. T he sponsor may want an outside assessment of how effective the teaching has been. There may be any number of reasons for this. T he success of a realistic negotiation task. but goes some way to recognizing the
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. Learners are often more motivated to work hard if they know they have to pass a test at the end of the course. particularly if the learners do not have very specific needs. Others. for example. There are three levels of BEC test (Preliminary. or learners may need a certificate in order to apply for a job. BEC exams are consequently more complicated to administer. m entioned above). like T O E IC . for example. BEC (Business English Certificate). Some tests. on the other hand. as long as the teacher is aware of such limitations. there is a general description of the H igher exam at the top of page 128. First of all. This compromise is attractive because of the relative ease of administering the test. Some tests. but the results may be used to make assumptions about general competence. at the same time. and the course itself will be designed with the test in mind (this effect on the course is sometimes called a backwash effect).9 • Evaluating and assessing
Despite the obvious advantages.
Commercially available tests
Some business English classes focus primarily on passing a test at the end o f the course. can be influenced by several factors outside the tester’s control. Such tests are normally well thought out by professional testers. as well as the language. business tasks often rely on knowledge other than language. SEFIC (Spoken English for Industry and Commerce (London Chamber of Commerce and Industry)) tries to get past this problem by requiring candidates to give a presentation on a subject of their own choice (see page 129). task-based assessment remains a very useful technique. but instead result in a score which can then be compared to a set of can-do statements (see Chapter 2). teachers may prefer to use a commercially available test. and suppliers? Such non-linguistic issues may have a direct bearing on the difficulty of the task. and Higher). such as TOEIC® (Test O f English for International Communication) only examine certain language skills. require takers to achieve a threshold score in order to pass. it can sometimes be hard to create a fair test environment which. Vantage. but may give a broader indication of general competence in the language (notwithstanding the difficulty of assessing spoken interaction. One problem with commercial tests is that they do not explicitly test the test taker in his or her own specialization. This does not test the candidate in all relevant discourses. and give a good idea of general business English competence. In such situations.

have no language problem in any straightforw ard social or personal situation.9 • Evaluating and assessing
SPOKEN ENGLISH FOR INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE (SEFIC) Fourth Level (40 minutes) For those candidates w ho have gained a high degree o f fluency in business or professional encounters and transactions in English. they w ill be able to carry on specialist discussions w ith in th e ir own fie ld w ith o u t difficulty. In all cases the candidate must dem onstrate the a bility to use freely and accurately the appropriate specialist vocabulary.com/LCCI/
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. and to discuss it. a prepared subject o f which the candidate has personal knowledge and/or experience and to dem onstrate th a t a candidate could make a presentation in English th a t w ould command respect among peers. The special subjects chosen by professional candidates w ill relate to selected aspects o f th e ir w ork but in other cases candidates may choose as th e ir topic any special interest. The topic area covered w ill be d iffe re n t from Section C. or activity. Section A (5 minutes) General conversation This w ill be an introductory conversation encompassing a variety o f business-related topics (including one o f current interest) enabling the candidate to demonstrate a w ide range of vocabulary and expressions in both fa m iliar and unfam iliar topic areas.lccieb. Questions w ill be posed by the examiner to assess the candidate's comprehension and powers o f deduction. This section is designed to test the candidate's a bility to absorb a w ritte n text.e. They w ill have dem onstrated the a bility to conduct the normal business o f th eir company in English and. (Candidates are perm itted to make notes w hile listening to the recording. Successful candidates w ill. Section C (10 minutes) Listening Comprehension Candidates w ill be asked to listen once to a recorded dialogue in English on a general workplace or business topic. or activity.) This section is designed to test the candidates' a bility to extract inform a tion from continuous dialogue in which they are not themselves involved and to test the candidates' a b ility to pass on by w ord o f m outh inform ation received aurally. A fterw ards the candidate w ill be required to discuss and suggest a solution to the 'problem atic' situation outlined by the speakers in the dialogue. be able to explain and discuss a subject o f th e ir choice in depth.) Section B (15 minutes . or o f a special subject. (The candidate's special topic chosen fo r Section B w ill be excluded. study. providing examples and clarification as appropriate. They w ill then be asked to summarize fo r the examiner the substance o f the conversation. a report plus a graph or chart) supplied by the examiner. This w ill not be assessed. render its gist succinctly and discuss the content. study. fo r all practical purposes. Candidates must supply the examiner w ith a w ritte n synopsis (about 200 words) fo r ease o f reference during the examination. The Examiner w ill ask fo llo w -u p questions leading into the discussion phase in which the candidate w ill be expected to respond fu lly to a w ide range o f questions. Candidates must be able to converse freely on topics of general interest. Section D (10 minutes) Reading Comprehension The candidate w ill be asked to study tw o or more sources o f inform ation (i. This section is designed to test the ability to explain and discuss in depth. using the relevant technical or specialist vocabulary along w ith 'layman's language'.
From w ww. and use the specialist vocabulary appropriate to the subject chosen.o f which the discussion w ill be a m inimum o f 5 minutes) Presentation Candidates w ill be asked to describe or dem onstrate to the examiner some aspect o f th e ir work. in addition. Special subjects chosen by professional candidates w ill relate to a selected aspect o f th e ir w ork but in other cases a candidate may choose as a topic any special interest.

4 Orders all supplies needed.H ow to Teach Business English
importance of the target language situation. There is an example from a progress test using sentences at the top o f page 132. or sentence halves. which means that the markers try to get an overall impression of competence. or synonyms. 3 Keeps a record o f all payments made and received. Likewise. A balance sheet is: (a) a financial statement (b) something you put on your bed (c) a device fo r w alking in a straight line (d) a type o f sail
M atching . and may or may not be given to the test taker. and interactive communication.cam bridge. Here are some common item types. or by using distracters. as in the example below (from International Business English Unit 5 test sheet).this consists of a statement. e. Discrete point items are designed to focus on specific linguistic elements. for example. Note. on the other hand.
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. 5 Provides office services. uses more detailed sets of specific criteria for the examiner to use. For example. how the item can be made more difficult by giving more than one match. Analytic marking. 1 Creates new products.
Match the descriptions 1-5 to the different functions of a company. A adm inistration B purchasing C personnel D research & developm ent E sales & m arketing F production G accounts H legal
From http://uk. the BEC speaking test mentioned on page 127 assesses candidates in terms of four separate criteria as follows: grammar and vocabulary. test takers match collocations.htm
Gap-fill .
Tick the correct answer. such as grammar or vocabulary. 2 In charge o f the w elfare o f employees.this describes items where words or phrases have been removed from sentences or texts. the test taker is required to choose one. plus a selection of alternative statements (distracters). together they make up a test). • M ultiple choice . discourse management.
Item types
Tests use a variety of item types (items are the individual tasks which are designed to elicit certain responses from test takers.this is a typical way to check lexical proficiency. typing.g. Tests can be marked holistically. with examples (note that some item types share characteristics with others).org/elt/nibe/teachers/intro. pronunciation. Pitm an provides a test called English for Office Staff aiming to target specific types of discourse.

the next item will be harder. • Error correction . In SET (Spoken English Test for Business (Pitman)). a professional testing organization will have item banks (collections o f items) which have been checked by a large number of test takers and compared against other (known) items. if a test taker answers three consecutive items correctly. ‘Tell me about your job’. of course. CATs are fast to take. In this way it is possible to find a test taker’s level fairly quickly. if test takers are not used to computers (e.however. There are many possible reasons for this. One disadvantage is that the test may not be exactly equivalent to a paper test . for example. that the test items have been correctly graded. feedback is normally relatively fast and accurate. It is also relatively easy to incorporate visuals and listening elements. the answers can be wide ranging. and have the great advantage that test takers do not have to answer questions which are far too easy or far too difficult. such as placement tests delivered via a company internet.9 • Evaluating and assessing
• Information transfer . as in the example at the bottom of page 133. handling a mouse). Once the test taker starts getting wrong answers the level goes back down. and computers are ideal when large numbers of candidates are involved. T he example at the top of page 133 is from the T O E IC test uses multiple choice questions to do this. but are also available commercially. C B T can be tailor-made for specific solutions.g. where the test taker is asked to listen and then react in some way to w hat has just been heard. This ensures a high degree of reliability.error correction items simply ask test takers to find and correct the errors. This can be done using multiple choice or gap-fills (see page 130). These are often used to check grammatical accuracy.
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. the assessment is based on a tape-recording o f a 1 -to -l conversation with an interlocutor. then this will affect the results.a comprehension test seeks to find out whether or not the test taker has understood a particular text (spoken or written). For example. • Comprehension . So.
Using computers
Computer-based tests (CBT) (as compared to pen and paper testing) refer to tests that have been put on a computer. O r a written test might ask the test taker to recommend a particular conference venue based on extracts from brochures.the test taker is required to transfer information from one source to another. After another three correct responses the level goes up again. if the oral examiner asks. Computer-adaptive tests (CAT) are CBTs where the computer selects items based on the response of the test taker to the previous item. This is very common in listening tasks.for example. as in the task at the bottom of page 132. This can be impractical if the teacher is designing his or her own tests . providing. • Open ended — an open-ended item is one which does not require a specific answer.

• Notification o f results . This is one reason why some examination boards use a simple statement of ‘Distinction’.some sponsors will only pay for a test if it will benefit the organization (they may want to know.is it to apply for a job. including photo. • Correlation with other tests — sometimes studies are available that provide comparisons with other tests. there are other ways to evaluate a course (or materials. making the data convenient to record.is the test acceptable in the relevant marketplace (for example. then the organization may dictate which test to choose. or up to a certain level .tests are often carried out only in authorized test centres. if the H R department is still awaiting budget confirmation. otherwise the only beneficiary is the testing organization. for example. In some places.g. for example. However. for example. O ther practical factors will also influence the decision: • T im e . W ithin the limitations of the test scoring system. • Support materials . both candidates have performed equally well. However.specific testimonials or details (e. or to enter a training programme? In both cases. certificates come in an identity-card format.some tests take months to confirm results. but this may not be practical (for example.ideally the teacher should advise learners to take tests which they have a reasonably good chance of passing.some tests have readily available practice and support material. an exam-based qualification well known in one country may not be recognized elsewhere)? • Certificate . then it would seem not justifiable to differentiate between a person who has scored 390 and another who has scored 430. • Chances o f success . if the discourse types tested are relevant to the workplace). • Location . ‘Pass’. Such issues need to be taken into account where a minimum score is required to gain university admission. • Currency . rather than numbers. which suggest a precision which does not necessarily exist. and usually gives results that are quantitative. First of all. with plus or minus 10% accuracy. If so. and compare. • Relevance to workplace .some testing organizations require early registration. they may not be able to register in time).H ow to Teach Business English
Choosing a test
There are various factors to think about before a teacher is in a position to advise business English learners about which test to choose. the employer or organizer may demand success either in a given proficiency test. can-do statements) may be more useful to prospective employers than a test score. or ‘Fail’.
Evaluating using feedback and observation
Testing learners’ language skills is one of the main ways to find out how successful a course has been.which can be indicated by test success or score. manipulate. • Cost. which may be too late for some candidates. • Registration . it is im portant that teachers (and the people who use the results of the tests to make decisions) fully understand what the test result actually means. if the test gives a score out of 500. what is the reason for doing the test . or the teaching). to prevent fraud.some tests are only available on certain days/dates in the year. For example.
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.

..Is there good rapport between the teacher and learners? After: Class assessment .... The course content was appropriate for my level.. 5 . 4 . 3 .. The training was delivered in a logical sequence. 5 .. Do you have any suggestions for improvements?
M any schools will ask an experienced teacher to evaluate another teacher in action.. 4 .. 1 . 3 ...Does it have clear aims? Is there a variety o f activity types? Does it allow flexibility? Lesson content . 4 .. 5 .. 1 ... 2 . This will give another perspective on how the learners react to the teacher. 4 . 5 ..H ow to Teach Business English
English. 2 .. 1 . Here is an example of a feedback sheet: I agree . 2 . Here are some areas such an observer might focus on:
Before: Class history . 2 ... 3 ...... The training objectives were made clear to me..Is it appropriate? Is it useful? Rapport .. Some schools may use these forms as a basis for employment teachers with low scores may not be asked back. 4 .How does the teacher see the relative strengths and weaknesses in the class? W hat are priorities fo r fu tu re lessons?
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. 3 ..Are learners aware o f the activity aims? Are instructions clear? Are supporting materials helpful? Do all learners take part? Feedback ....Is it relevant to learner needs? During: Management o f activities .... 5 ......... 3 .. 3 ...How long has the class been running? Is attendance regular? W hat are the needs o f the class? Lesson plan . 4 . 4 ... 5 . 1 . The tra in e r’s feedback was useful. 2 .. I disagree The tra in er was well organized.. 1 ...... 3 .............. 2 . The content was relevant to my workplace. 1 ... 5 ... The tra in er handled the equipment efficiently.. and will also enable the teacher and the school to reflect on a teacher’s ability (see section on page 137 on the reflective practitioner). 2 . 1 . Yes / No Comments
I recommend th at we use this train er again.

Reflect on the results.
O f course. and see if improvements could be made . There are normally five stages to the process: 1 2 3 4 5 Find an area to examine or improve. Act (implement the change). One of the reasons for this was probably the low language level of the learners concerned. simple.perhaps she was talking too fast.making a decision in the classroom.9 • Evaluating and assessing
The reflective practitioner
A nother form of evaluation relies on conscious reflection about what is going on in the classroom. observed. So the teacher made a careful note of new vocabulary introduced in the classroom. Sometimes this can be quick. based on the rapid assessment of something that has just happened. and informal . this process can be cyclical in nature if. • Learning strategies . so he tried another change which combined the two methods. and asked to try and deduce how the form was being used. he decided that on the next course he would change to a method of teaching where new forms were presented less overtly . or using too many difficult words.a teacher felt that she was not particularly good at giving instructions which everyone in the class understood. T he teacher decided to videotape a few classes. A subsequent test proved to the learners that they were better able to recall the vocabulary which they had written down in their notebooks. Having read up on other methods. • Teaching approach . and carrying out action research. Typical methods include discussing issues with colleagues. This consists of teachers themselves doing small-scale research to analyse what is happening in their classroom and then trying to find better ways of doing things. • Teacher instructions . followed by the learners doing exercises designed to give controlled practice and freer practice (they always seemed to make the same mistakes. but asked the learners to include only some of these words in their notebooks. T he results showed clearly that the teacher
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. in turn. This time the end-ofcourse results did show some improvement. no m atter how often the forms were covered). Plan the change. attending workshops and conferences. Here are examples of action research carried out in business English classrooms. After discussion with colleagues he decided that this m ight be due to the fact that learners have different learning styles.learners were given texts containing the new forms. further improvements are planned and carried out. But it can also involve a more systematic approach. Observe the results of the action.the teacher was not sure that learners were benefiting from an approach to teaching grammar which entailed the teacher explaining a new verb form. reading and keeping up to date with the literature. based on the observation and reflection. End-of-course test results showed no significant improvement in results.learners in the class were not convinced that vocabulary notebooks were effective. the effects of which are. keeping diaries and journals.

Consequently. providing equipment.H ow to Teach Business English
never checked whether or not her instructions had been understood. W aiting costs refer to the costs incurred because a company has to wait for training to be carried out.if the course participants are five highly-paid senior managers. initial training courses such as the L C C I Cert FT B E . and which benefits the company) . Perhaps the best way to evaluate ourselves as teachers is to consider formal training or development which will allow us to reflect on key issues. materials). cost itself is rarely the sole deciding factor . interference costs are incurred because the training interferes with other people . There are a number of courses designed for business English teachers.who may not necessarily be the same people as the learners themselves . Organizations normally use one of the following approaches to help them think about this cost/benefit relationship. or on its overall reputation. or the course objectives met. O f course. will incur a loss of potential income until staff can be trained. and the savings made (or new income earned) in consequence. administration. For example. a company which has received a licence to do business in an English-speaking country. as we have seen. However. Opportunity costs are related to the fact that learners on a course are then not available to do their ‘real’ jobs (the work that they are paid to do.
The customer's perspective
So far we have looked at evaluation largely from the learners’ or teachers’ perspective.for example. M any of these courses are offered on a part-time and/or distance basis.it is how these costs relate to the benefits of the teaching which is more important. A n educational establishment might be interested in the effect the course may have on its marketing strategies. ranging from short workshops concentrating on particular topics like materials development. Some costs are fairly self-explanatory (hiring people. the customers . then the cost o f the teacher’s fees is insignificant in comparison. • Payback looks at a straight comparison between the cost of the training.
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. W h at a corporate sponsor probably wants to know is the impact of the course at the workplace. less immediately obvious. and are designed to allow the practitioner to reflect on their specific teaching context. costs are more significant. as well as benefit from other teachers’ experience. and asks how readily will the costs be covered by the savings (income). and how it benefits the company. the staff in the departments belonging to the managers who are on a course may not be able to carry out their jobs properly because their manager is absent. I f the school cannot deliver the training for a couple of weeks then this cost will be taken into account. but companies often find that other. she made sure that she did this every time. particularly in an in-company context. right up to masters and doctoral level degrees (see Chapter notes and further reading. Finally. on page 156). Understanding costs is a fundamental part of the business English teacher’s trade. but has no staff who can speak English.may be interested in more than whether or not the participants were satisfied.

reduced stress. • the customer's requirem ent to analyse the costs and benefits o f a course. such as task-based assessment and commercially available tests. even though their learning potential may be considerably diminished by the fact that they have been at their desks all day Finally. but views the transaction as an investment. • Return on Investment (ROI) is essentially the inverse ratio (‘return’ being the ‘benefit’). they ask the question: Is this the best way to spend our money? O ften companies will ask several schools to submit quotations for business English training. • the teacher using a variety o f reflective approaches. and so on. Likewise. which can be used to indicate the extent o f the learning. however inaccurate. T he latter m ight include benefits like improved work climate. or the cost/benefit of recruiting Englishspeaking staff against the cost/benefit of training them. enhanced customer relations. motivation. but many H R departments will be required to submit some sort of analysis before decisions are made. In other words. it may be im portant for freelance teachers who want to charge a bit more than their competitors to point out (diplomatically) that their fee is actually a very small part of the overall equation.
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. an awareness of opportunity and interference costs will help the teacher to understand why it is (for example) that the managers are only available to do the course in the evenings. the business English teacher needs to keep in mind that sponsors need to be able to see the benefits of training. such benefits are almost impossible to quantify in financial terms. using discussion and feedback forms th a t focus on the content o f the course. a company m ight wish to compare the cost/benefit of using interpreters against the cost/benefit of language training. For example. nevertheless such estimates. • reactions o f the participants. Calculating such factors may be done by rule of thumb. may be taken into account when the course is evaluated. rather than focusing on cost and viewing it as a situation where resources are spent. M eeting the boss and discussing these benefits may have more influence on how he or she evaluates the course than all the tests and feedback sheets in the world. and then choose the one which appears to offer the best ROI.
Conclusion
In this chapter we noted th a t business English courses may be evaluated at d iffe re n t levels and from d iffe re n t perspectives. including action research. Evaluation can focus on: • testing techniques. in order to improve the teaching and learning process. A potential client may take this one step further and compare the cost/benefit ratios of alternative investments. For example. Clearly.9 • Evaluating and assessing
• T he cost/benefit ratio compares the cost of the training with the benefits. M ost teachers will not be involved in the detail of such calculations. but they will be directly affected by them. both tangible and intangible. as well as on the teacher.

Please see the note on page ii for photocopying restrictions. • The material in the Task File can be photocopied for use in limited circumstances.Task File
Introduction
• The exercises in this section all relate to topics discussed in the chapter to which the exercises refer. • An answer key is provided after the Task File (on pages 150-155) for those tasks w here it is possible to provide specific or suggested answers. material from other chapters may also be relevant. • Tutors can decide w hen it is appropriate to use the tasks in this section. • Some questions asked here expect definite answers. Readers on their own can w ork on the tasks at any stage in their reading of the book. w hile others ask only for the reader's ideas and opinions.
. In some cases.

very well.
7 Far better to use valuable tim e focusing on specific learner comm unication needs. w hich are reflected in th e w ay they communicate. 3 Young students have only had 'secondhand' access to the w orld o f business. 2 Business people are normal people w ho need to comm unicate w ith in a specific context. Features: ritual language {hello. but the basic means is the same. small talk before getting down to the ‘real’ reason for the call. teachers should recognize th e ir own lim itations. quite distinct from those o f normal life. and it is not only linguistic skills th a t determ ine that.Task File Key
Chapter 1
A
Here are some points to consider. good morning.they also give professional advice outside the classroom. They may have w orked in business. A Your lessons will certainly benefit if your teacher knows about your views about language learning.
B
Register: informal.
150
. In reality. teachers inevitably use the variety they are most fa m iliar w ith as a model. Consultants do more than teach . Fun and games increase m o tiv a tio n and enhance learning. and are paid accordingly. your language learning history. and speakers changing direction mid-stream. 6 A rose by any other name w ould smell as sweet. The business w orld has certain expectations. thanks). business English users need the language to w ork in practice. and your reasons for learning the new language. good morning. business-related). A and B seem to know each other reasonably well (but not so intimately that B knows As working hours). Some learners w ill have to deal w ith particular varieties o f English. friendly. when used appropriately. the time you have available for lessons and homework. bantering. Business English users have priorities and aims. you may add others.
AGAINST Language competence and related business communication skills are inextricably linked to each other. They have already had access to the w orld o f business via th e ir own experience o f life. so a sim plified form o f 'in te rn a tio n a l' English makes more sense. how are you.
Chapter 2
Here are some points to consider. before moving on to look at English in specific contexts. you may think of others.
FOR 1 Language teachers have been trained to teach language. utterances not always particularly well-formed. 5 Beginners need to learn the basics o f the language first. and one o f them is th a t employees need to be trained (not merely educated) to do specific things. Now they are merely changing contexts. but this does not mean th a t they are business com m unication experts. It is possible to cover basics w ith in a business context relevant to the learners' needs. Genre: opening section of phone call (probably. 4 Learners need to be able to deal w ith other non-native speakers. but not definitely.

since two hours can seem like a long time to maintain a group’s concentration and interest. give opinions. so that they can work to close the gap between the different language levels. [4] use appropriate language to make suggestions. which suggests using economics topics as a framework. You may decide to divide the class and use different input material for different levels. Possible questions might include: H ow many participants? W hen can we carry out placement tests? W h at do you wish to achieve with this training? W here and when is the training to take place? H ow much are you prepared to pay? A possible answer m ight be: A t the end o f the course participants will be able to [1] follow appropriate rules of procedure. using open-ended tasks (i. You need to identify the training gap (see Chapter 2. T he answer will depend on the teacher’s own experience and beliefs about how language learning takes place. You need to know about the course aims and objectives. examples of coursebooks and/or C D -R O M s. and attendance figures would also be useful. duct tape (for cabling). freebies
Chapter 3
A
B
C
D E
151
. Internet access. giving weaker students more homework. It would also help if you knew something about what architects do. [2] read and understand typical agendas and minutes. Your first meeting will be a needs analysis. name cards. assess what means you have to close the gap. and something about New York. [5] give impromptu presentations to explain and inform.e. but will need to take into account the fact that the students are pre-experienced. something for sticking posters to the walls or a pin board. page 20 for specific ideas). hole punch. or you may decide to use the same input material. the syllabus (and how it was designed). O ther options include pairing strong students with weaker students. Information about learning styles. and will focus on her current ability as well as the types of discourse that she will need to deal with. T he syllabus should reflect the fact that students will probably use English within the field of economics. the materials being used. [3] use appropriate language to ask for and give clarification. relationships within the class. as well as a summary of what has been done so far in the course. adhesive tape. page 15). T he key point to make about activities is that they should be varied. You will also need information about the learners’ own needs and expectations. information about the project. posters. O H P pens. with no specific response). and making the group aware of the challenges imposed by a mixed-ability class. self-study books. and their own roles and responsibilities. It will be im portant to find out if she has any particular concerns. T he list might include: pens (check they work). It will be im portant to make sure that each learner receives praise for his or her efforts. but give students different tasks. Open exercise. and summarize discussions.Task File Key
B
C
D
E
F
Details about the types of discourses they will have to deal with (see Chapter 2. and decide on priorities. dictionaries. current levels within the group.

read reviews in teacher publications. obtain sample copies from publishers. company bags. use of past tense {recommended. spare bulbs. possible useful expressions are in bold (but will depend on the class in question).
Chapter 4
A
B C A
A possible answer m ight include: discuss materials with other teachers. she said something about . page 52. pens). spare paper etc. use of and etc. mentioned). See Chapter 4. .org). card. yeah).. www. stapler. name badges. join BE email discussion lists (e. sticky labels.Task File Key
(e. browse through books at bookshops. scissors. backchannelling {right. Features: repetition (did you did you. it's a fu nny story).. small sweets or mints. glue stick.besig. A So / / how did you / / did you / / get the job? B Well / / actually / / it’s a funny story / / I A {laughs) B Have a feeling that / / somebody from my old company recommended me / / although I don’t know why / / I was working at the bank at the time / / erm anyway the boss presumably heard my name in a good context / / and anyway this man Giorgio Sabatini erm / / m entioned my name / / and recommended me to another lady / / who I ’ d neverm et / / calledHeidi / / who was German / / I think / / it’s a very funny story / / actually / / it’s incredible from one point of view / / this is the honest to G od truth / / I got my job at the bank / / and it was something like / / 20 hours a week / / no sorry tell a lie / / it was 18 hours a week / / and / / A R ight / / B A nd I knew / / I couldn’t live on the money / / A H m m // B Having worked at JL’s on a 30 hour contract / / AYeah yeah / / B Erm / / and so I said that if you w ant me to stay / / you’ll have to give me another job A R ight / / B T h a t’s the truth / / th at’s what I said / / erm and I really didn’t do anything else / / erm I said I just have to keep my eyes and ears open / / A Y e a h // B Anyway / / as I said / / it’s a funny story / / I’ d never met this lady before / / erm I mentioned to a friend / / a n Italian friend / / that I was looking for work / / in in casual conversation / / and er erm she said er / / she said something about / / she knew a lady called Heidi / / the next thing I knew / / this woman rang me up
Chapter 5
152
.g... writing pads.g. spare batteries. attend conferences. Open exercise. regularly visit publisher websites. business cards. clock. reported speech {so I said that i f you w ant me to stay you'll.). attend teacher development workshops or courses. drinking water. Possible answer: / / denotes pauses between chunks.

Answer it. Introduce yourself and make small talk. All you have to do beforehand is have a brief m eeting. you decide to go into the showroom and perhaps buy yourself a new car. Then persuade the other managers to agree w ith your choice. and you know your colleague is too. 5. which w ill take at least tw o hours. w ith one o f your colleagues about a project you have been w orking on together. Call your colleague.30. and are currently enjoying a holiday in a foreign city.Task File Key
A H m m // B Never met her / / A Right / / B Anyway / / we had a little chat / / I didn’t know why she rang me / / actually / / I couldn’t make head or tail of the conversation / / erm but I guess she was sorting me out. 3. and you have taken advantage o f a special o ffe r to buy some really cheap flig h t tickets. It is 4 p. in order to m otivate staff. and postpone the m eeting. You believe th a t the premises should be in the expensive part o f to w n.
Learner A: You w ork fo r a small company in the centre o f tow n. in order to m inimize travelling tim e / roomy and com fortable. You are about to meet a potential customer from overseas. in order to save costs / near an airport. you have just found o u t th a t there is an urgent need to meet w ith a supplier in order to sort o u t a delivery problem. You are happy because your boss has just agreed th a t you can go on holiday tom orrow . Luckily. It is already 4 p..
153
. Since it is your birthday next week. It has already been agreed th a t there needs to be enough room fo r six employees.
Learner A: Your company sells expensive sports cars. you are free all day tom orrow . and your job is to look a fter him /her until a salesperson is free to discuss the cars. Genre: 2.30.m. and decide which one you th in k the company should buy. 4. in order to impress potential clients / in the cheap part o f tow n. fo r tw o weeks.// A Right / / B Anyway / / half an hour later / / she rang back / / and said //w ould you like a job at Loray’s / / and I said wonderful / / and she said well / / n o she said / / would you like an interview / / and I interviewed / / and th at’s how it worked A Right B So it was most peculiar / / most bizarre / / like a bombshell literally B Possible role-play cards m ight be along these lines:
You are the m arketing/financial/production/HR manager o f a medium-sized company based in (your city). U nfortunately. The phone rings.
Chapter 6
A
Process: 1. scheduled fo r 4.m. You are m eeting other managers to discuss the possible purchase o f new premises in (foreign city). and you need to pick up the tickets before the shop shuts at 5. Learner B: You are extremely wealthy. Learner B: You w ork fo r a small company in the centre o f tow n. Look at the inform a tion supplied about available premises. in order to discuss a project you have been w orking on together. You are scheduled to meet one o f your colleagues in half an hour. You are w alking along the road when you see a showroom fu ll o f sports cars.

as well as the availability of suitable materials. which you could then correct and send back. Factors which will need to be considered in all cases include the learner’s aims. but could start by identifying useful websites. Possible questions might include: W h at are the aims of the course? W h at sorts of materials and activities are being used? H ow do learners know what they are supposed to be doing? H ow is feedback given? Are there any problems with the technology? T he basic problem was that the teacher assumed that he was the expert. Different learners have different learning styles. and for you to supply supplementary materials as appropriate. H e also attempted to use materials without adapting them to the needs of the group. it is possible to transfer a large
Chapter 7
A B
C
D E
Chapter 8
A
B
q uantity o f (theoretical) inform ation. A third option is for him to use the chance to practise writing skills. Web quests are ideal in this sort of situation (see page 108). these can be checked by you before being passed on to the other students. learners learn by doing. and works through them. learners are required to
analyse situations and make decisions in real tim e 154
. for example. can be tailored to suit a particular group Disadvantages: Can be boring and impersonal. since there is no extra money available. M ain advantages and disadvantages include:
Lectures
Advantages: Trainer is in control. ability. This is a confidentiality agreement (see Chapter 2. focusing on collocations and/or useful expressions (see also Chapter 4.Task File Key
B
C
T he activities are independent. and getting learners to write their own emails. One way to deal with this is to get the students to set up the activities. You have various options. time available. You might even agree on a regular contact schedule. and some activities lead nicely into others. he should feel free to telephone (although you m ight wish to set time constraints on this!) or email for help. You m ight suggest that he buys some self-study materials. comprehension exercises). on using authentic materials). T he text might be adapted in any number of ways. he could send you regular reports on his project. lockstep approach does not adapt to needs o f individual learners
Role-plays
Advantages: Personal. and then creating different activities appropriate to the level of the learners (e. looking at more emails. But. such as creating gap-fill exercises. this will also influence planning. A n alternative is for him to use the time to revise work already done. depending on the group’s needs. replacing words with each other. page 17).g. In the case of difficulty. and can be done in any order. learners are passive. good fo r large groups. ignoring the fact that the learners had considerable experience which could have been utilized. you should not overload yourself with extra work. O ther activities m ight include focusing on other words and expressions.

T he main factors are cost. Activities will depend on resources available. rather than on China. but with the focus on the computer gaming industry. possibly by making a quick phone call to the relevant department. pages 41-42. page 126). pages 43-46. See also Chapter 4.a few minutes is not really enough time to prepare a test which might affect someone’s career. Your first task might be to play for time . learners may not identify w ith film 's characters or story
C
D
T he answer depends on the teacher’s own knowledge and experience of China. location. personal involvem ent
Disadvantages: Can be seen as irrelevant or simplistic. the learner should be given the chance to rehearse the presentation with someone from the computer gaming industry. can be
d iffic u lt to use w ith large groups
Discussions
Advantages: Learners are required to
put forw ard and defend opinions. Ideally. but may include reading articles and watching films about China. and role-play some situations with him or her (see taskbased assessment.Task File Key
Disadvantages: Can be d iffic u lt w ith large groups. may embarrass
learners or reduce confidence. T he answer is similar to C ’s. Open exercise. T he notion of triangulation is im portant here (see Chapter 9. need to control focus or can easily become irrelevant
Films
Advantages: Can bring a sort o f 'real-life' to the classroom. T he teacher may also be able to arrange meetings with colleagues who have appropriate experience. and facilities. Open exercise. learners are passive. but the focus will need to be on learning about China. page 124). you should try and find out as much as possible about the sorts of discourses (spoken and written) that the applicant m ight face. or even with Chinese English speakers. and also on the learner’s own intercultural competence. If you have no choice. possible to replay situations Disadvantages: Can be d iffic u lt to get hold o f the rig h t films.
Chapter 9
A B C D
E
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. but the list on page 134 provides a useful starting point. learners may not take seriously
Critical incidents
Advantages: Learners are required to analyse situations and produce
possible solutions. and Chapter 9. flexible Disadvantages: Can be d iffic u lt w ith large groups. Chapter 2. page 21. See also Chapter 3. possible
to transfer a large quantity o f (theoretical) inform ation.